Black Kids
(Columbia)
Jacksonville, Florida’s Black Kids justly caused a stir last year with their debut EP Wizard of Ahhhs, four tracks of disco-y new wave bubblegum that were sly enough to appeal to indie-rock hipsters (one cut alluded to the Mael brothers of old-school pranksters Sparks) and over-the-top enough to present pure pop pleasure for the dance floor. That the EP was offered as a free download via their MySpace page helped make Black Kids a blog sensation, but the youthful enthusiasm of “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You” would be irresistible regardless of its method of distribution.
For their debut album, the multiracial quintet helmed by Reggie Youngblood hooked up with producer and former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler to rerecord the EP’s four songs and add six enticing new ones. For those familiar with the EP versions—and one would expect that would be a large chunk of listeners—the subtle tweaks may be unsettling even though the band wisely chose not to radically remake the arrangements. The robotic buzz to the backing vocals on “Hit the Heartbreaks” is more distraction than addition, but that’s a quibble when the Motown thump and Isley Brothers guitars lock in and the whole thing sounds cleaner and more vibrant than it did on the EP. The gang vocals and unfettered joy of new tracks “Listen To Your Body Tonight” and “Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)” (note the Michael Jackson allusion) put the Kids in a league with the Go! Team as purveyors of unadulterated, un-ironic bubblegum pop. Partie Traumatic is a brief 38 minutes, but any more would risk a sugar overload.
Standout Tracks: “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You,” “Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)” STEVE KLINGE
