According to the press materials, there actually is a name for this kind of music: plinkerpop. The word is apparently meant to denote the fact that, while the beats are glitchy and the synthetic tones are often downright weird, there are also moments of genuine pop bliss that emerge from time to time, often without any warning. Frankly, it's as good a term as anyone else is likely to ever come up with for this unique and engaging music. This is the debut full-length from the team of Thaddeus Herrmann and
Christian Kleine, who have previously released two EPs (Transalpin and Kickboard Girl) and appeared on a couple of compilations, as well as remixing tracks for names as big as
His Name Is Alive and
Bomb the Bass. Everything here is pretty dang groovy, really, but especially noteworthy are the aggro-glitch freakout of "Her Tune" (wait for it -- it starts out nice and mellow and gets nasty about halfway through) and the cover of
Slapp Happy's "Blue Flower" (which, in similar fashion, starts out nice and mellow and is suddenly overtaken by insanely distorted guitar). This is that rarest of albums: a genuinely enjoyable one that will still make people think you're smart for liking it. ~ Rick Anderson