Posts: 9

1. 

   HOT CHIP: MADE IN THE DARK

   09.May.08, 15:16 EDT
   
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   HOT CHIP
   MADE IN THE DARK
   (EMI)

   Coming off the critical adulation of 2006's The Warning and the buzz surrounding their shape-shifting, high-energy, live performances, Hot Chip burst out of the playhouse with Made In the Dark, an album stuffed with a smorgasbord of dance-pop baubles. While initial reports indicated that the quintet would be adopting a more aggressive approach, that stylistic permutation only accounts for the more upbeat numbers, such as lead single "Shake a Fist," with its rumbling percussion and dark synthesizer whizzes. Elsewhere, they dip into R. Kelly-style R&B ("Wrestlers"), dive into disco ("Hold On"), slip into sultry piano ballads (the title track) and soar throughout.

2. 

   GRAND OLE PARTY: HUMANIMALS

   09.May.08, 15:15 EDT
   
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   GRAND OLE PARTY
   HUMANIMALS
   [DH]

   First, the drummer sings. Second, the drummer sings like a deranged house cat, a girl with more spunk and attitude than eight Karen Os mixed with nine Gwen Stefanis. They're a trio that boogies with the best of 'em, skipping through twelve sassy stompers like they're walking down Sunset in jackboots. Blake Sennett, of Rilo Kiley fame, is behind the boards, and he isolates each member Spoon-style, getting the maximal out of the minimal. Then they drop a dub track at the end just for kicks.

3. 

   MOBY: LAST NIGHT

   09.May.08, 15:15 EDT
   
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   MOBY
   LAST NIGHT
   [Mute]

   Ever since he became a punchline for Eminem, an outspoken cynic transformed into a smug self-promoter and a hotel composer, Moby's image has suffered under the weight of Alan Lomax records, awkward celebrity and a featherweight stereotype. Ditto for his music, often relying too strongly on his formula of lacing arcane samples over Pure Moods keyboards and recycled beats. Last Night proves that Moby still does listen to techno, returning him to his dance roots with belting divas, banging house beats and pianos replacing synthesizers.

4. 

   RAFTER: SEX DEATH CASSETTE

   09.May.08, 15:14 EDT
   
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   RAFTER
   SEX DEATH CASSETTE
   [Asthmatic Kitty]

   If Bob Pollard were to drink Jolt instead of beer you might get something like Rafter. Cranking out songs faster than Adult Swim cartoons on fast-forward, Sex Death Cassette hop-skips from lo-fi Roxy Music homages (“Zzzpenchant”) to basement folk (“I Love You Most of All”) before you can say, “distracting.” While the harsh shifts may be too challenging for some listeners, fans of similarly screwy pop like Fiery Furnaces or Architecture in Helsinki will delight in gulping down the candy-flavored sugar milk this box of cereal has to offer.

5. 

   This Ish: This Ish

   09.May.08, 15:13 EDT
   
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   This Ish
   This Ish
   This Ish Records

   Originality is valuable these days; anyone can understand that. If anything, NYC’s Dragons of Zynth are original, rocking out in abstracts like iron jazz drumming, echoing vocals and atonal guitar playing. Which is why the “glam” tag they get doesn’t fit anywhere except the song titles, with Slade misspellings like “Who Rize Above” and “Rockin Star.” Static provided by co-producers, TV on the Radio, adds some grit but little in the way of melodies, making it too impenetrable for anyone seeking something in the cookie mountain department.

6. 

   COCOA TEA: BIOLOGICAL WARFARE

   09.May.08, 15:12 EDT
   
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   COCOA TEA
   BIOLOGICAL WARFARE
   [Minor7Flat5]

   Biological Warfare's title indicates that Cocoa Tea, a reggae stalwart, piles his album with negative lyrical imagery and vitriolic language. Never judge a book by its cover. Track after track of midtempo rhythms, sprightly bass lines and major-key brilliance, Biological Warfare eschews topical concerns to sing about positivism. While Cocoa Tea occasionally details social problems such as crime, poverty and hunger, he always counteracts those concerns by trying to point people towards helping others, thus creating an environment of overwhelming optimism supported by dynamite melodies.

7. 

   BEANIE SIGEL: THE SOLUTION

   09.May.08, 15:12 EDT
   
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   BEANIE SIGEL
   THE SOLUTION
   [Def Jam]

   The irony of The Solution's title is that it provides no real answers. As with 2005's The B. Coming, Beanie Sigel fills an album full of personal questions, internal struggles and heavy regrets. The difference is that this time around he counteracts his soulful tendencies with ready-for-radio hits (first single "All The Above," featuring R. Kelly) and hard-hitting bangers (the Black Sabbath-laced "Judgment Day"). The schizophrenic musical palette only augments Sigel's conflicted persona, and so The Solution acts as a worthy successor to The B.Coming, and a more palatable one as well.

8. 

   HEY WILLPOWER: P.D.A.

   09.May.08, 15:11 EDT
   
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   HEY WILLPOWER
   P.D.A.
   [Tomlab]

   Indie for the pop/R&B set, pop/R&B for the indie set, or merely a deft combination of the two, Hey Willpower are two underground guys (Will Schwartz of Imperial Teen and Tomo Yasuda) who share a love for the mainstream pleasures of Top 40 radio. P.D.A. is a stripped-down but jam-packed series of sultry, beat-heavy club jams. Occasionally too rigid and nerdy to ever possess crossover appeal, Hey Willpower nevertheless displays an adept understanding of pop radio's song structures, creating cheeky homages that delve into parody but never belie craft or hooks.

9. 

   THE WHIGS: MISSION CONTROL

   09.May.08, 15:02 EDT
   
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   THE WHIGS
   MISSION CONTROL
   [ATO]

   They're loud without being overpowering and emotive without being lachrymose. But they also rock without rolling, a crucial gap in their arena rock, sans arena. Mission Control plays out like a handful of anthems too cornered to ever engulf a stadium. Still, in a theatre or large club they're big enough to burn Arcade Fires and scurry next to Modest Mouses the world over. Parker Gispert's strained sob lacks pretension, so it resonates where other rock voices alienate, and the drummer's furious run-stomps make these more than just alterna-filler.