Quick Spins

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

WILD ANIMALS

The Pinker Tones

The boys from Barcelona hit the streets with their sophomore offering, a surprisingly confident and joyful collection of jaunty hooks and mondo beats that fully exploits all that the Pinker Tones hear and integrate in their port city.

Mister Furia and Professor Manso cross-pollinate funk, electronica, bossa, Beach Boys-like harmonies, a little crooked French chanson -- along with an overdose of charm. This is a much more soulful, less chunky collection than previous releases. The lyrics are nonsense (example: "Shake it, shake it, sexy robot/Shake it, shake it, dance with me") but they only add to the light, summery, feel-good effect. Then again, sometimes they surprise, coming off unexpectedly poignant, as on "Happy Everywhere": "I'm happy everywhere/It's just that I'm a little bit scared." It skirts camp, sure, but doesn't quite go over the top; it also doesn't disappear into the meaningless monotony of extended dance music. There's plenty of attitude but it's not an off-putting cool.

If these guys seem a bit tongue in cheek, the musicianship is anything but: The fusion's seamless. And, hey, tunes like "24" and even "S.E.X.Y. R.O.B.O.T." are perfect soundtracks for driving, and ideal for dancing around the house. The big surprise this time around is the boys' sweet harmonizing -- who knew? "On Se Promenait" whispers and soars. Lyrics arrive in English, Spanish and French and code-switch with continental flair.

The Pinker Tones are scheduled to perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion on July 16.

-- Achy Obejas

DOWNLOAD THESE:"S.E.X.Y. R.O.B.O.T.," "24," "On Se Promenait," "Electrotumbao"

SCREAM

Tokio Hotel

Forget the New Kids on the Block reunion. Millions of teenage girls are freaking out over the hottest new boy band, Tokio Hotel. Of course, you're forgiven if you've never heard of this four-piece German outfit, who've earned a U.S. fan base in the last few years thanks to concert clips available on YouTube. So when the band came to play its first American shows in February, fans lined up hours beforehand to catch a set of energetic, glammy emo-pop songs, many of which are on its English-language debut, "Scream."

Tokio Hotel's first record was performed in German, so it's likely that English-speaking fans were more taken with the band members' divergent physical appearances. Frontman Bill Kaulitz looks like a cross between a Japanese anime cartoon and Nikki Sixx; guitarist Tom Kaulitz (Bill's twin brother) sports Axl Rose-style dreadlocks; drummer Gustav Schaefer resembles Spencer Pratt from MTV's "The Hills"; bassist Georg Listing, strangely enough, could pass for Steely Dan's Walter Becker in the '70s.

But what about the music? For what it is -- slickly produced, thoroughly modern rock songs with calm verses and seize-the-day choruses -- it's not terrible. Title track "Scream" is powered by crunchy guitar riffs, arena-ready beats and Bill Kaulitz's adenoidal croon, while "Don't Jump" is the kind of soaring, string-laden ballad that could work on the soundtrack to a big-budget action movie.

As a hyper-sensitive young man, Bill Kaulitz writes lyrics that often address breaking away from some vague apocalyptic nightmare, and he typically wants to take a special someone along for the journey. No doubt one of his female fans would accept the invitation. But, as is the ephemeral nature of the boy band, you have to wonder: Would she say yes five years from now?

-- Kevin O'Donnell

DOWNLOAD THESE: "Scream," "Don't Jump"