rap. The group may be a throwback to the era of glitter and platforms, but Lights never forget their love for ’60s rock distortion (“Check Out Hold On”) and smooth twinkles of piano (“Nothing Left to Build”). Word has it their live sets are pretty trippy, too, where Lights are both heard and seen, care of the band’s fourth member, analog-light-show artist Wizard Smoke. [MARY-LOUISE PRICE]
LITTLE BOOTS Illuminations EP (Elektra) “Aren’t ya new in town?” Little Boots appropriately sings in the opening
line of Illuminations, her new U.S. EP. After all, it’s the first official American release for the latest blond, British, dance-pop bombshell to be branded the Next Big Thing. But Little Boots— Blackpool-born Victoria Hesketh—has made believers out of jaded hipsters with her unlikely dance-floor hit “Stuck on Repeat,” a DIY electro groove that’s rough enough around the edges to maintain Boots’ indie cred and infectious enough to get play at velvet-rope clubs. On Illuminations, though, Hesketh’s lo-fi sound gets a Goldfrapp-like sheen, with polished, percolating synths and vocals wrapped in reverb. But the source material is still enjoyably dark (on
{heavy rotation}
AMANDA BLANK I Love You
SHANE MCCAULEY
(DOWNTOWN)
MC AMANDA BLANK, who has remixed and collaborated with other hip-hop hipsters, including Spank Rock, M.I.A., and Santigold, keeps her beats tight and dirty on her addictive, ass-shaking first album. The strongest tracks show off her rapid-fire rapping skills, but she can also pull off synthy songs that are just a little bit sad, like “Shame on Me” and “DJ.” Blank’s awesomely filthy homage to Romeo Void’s new-wave classic “Never Say Never” brings it to the next level with lyrics like, “Wanna hold you/Get to know you/Show you what I got in my sweater, baby.” Consider I Love You your new go-to album when you’re getting ready for a hot date or want to start a dance party in your living room. [JENNI MILLER]
“Love Kills,” Little Boots sings “Love don’t give no justification/It strikes like cold steel” over crushing keyboard riffs and a banging bass line). Illuminations is just the beginning for Hesketh; she has a North American tour this fall and a fulllength, Hands, due later this year. And if her recent, shimmering live shows in New York were any indication, Little Boots has a big future ahead of her. [DYLAN STABLEFORD]
MAJOR LAZER Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do (Downtown) Major Lazer is the brainchild of renowned DJs/producers Diplo and Switch, whose names probably sound familiar (count producing M.I.A. and Santigold as feathers in their hats). Guns Don’t Kill People was recorded during a trip to Jamaica and aptly layers dancehall rhythms over found sounds, synth beats, and vocals from guests such as Ms. Thing, Santigold, and more. True to its reggae roots, the album’s lyrics alternate between the subtly sweet and ultraviolent, with a large serving of tongue-in-cheek humor, exemplified in “Mary Jane,” a not-so-subtle ode to the track’s illicit namesake. Sonically smart “Can’t Stop Now” overlaps a warbled, delicate reggae beat; “Baby,” features Auto-Tuned infant wails as its rhythmic foundation. Bottom line? Guns Don’t Kill People gets the classic stamp of approval: it’s got great beats, and it’ll make you move. [ERICA VARLESE]
STEPHANIE MCKAY Tell It Like It Is (Moi/McKay) When it comes to contemporary soul music, there will always be some naysayers who go on and on about how back in the day, the tunes were more true, more pure, and more the real thing. Well, somebody forgot to tell Stephanie McKay. A respected, dynamic session singer (for musicians like Kelis and Roy Hargrove), McKay self-pens her songs, and they’re seductive but never overt. There’s an old-fashioned restraint and some grown-girl sass in those straight-ahead vocals. On cuts like the intoxicating title track (peppered with just a hint of southern soul) or the sweet
midtempo “This Letter”—no texting for this lady—McCay gives you a citified attitude as gritty as it is romantic. On her second album (and first domestic release), this Bronx native proves the good old days of rhythm-and-blues are right now. [AMY LINDEN]
THE PLASTISCINES About Love (NYLON) Like the high-school clique from the movie Mean Girls, this French chick rock band is glossy, calculated, and just a little bit snide. Lucky for us, those qualities translate into a catchy, energetic album packed with deliciously bitchy pop songs. About Love, the group’s second full-length, steamrolls through 12 tracks of fist-pumping kick drums under sparse, crunchy guitars and polished, in-yourface melodies that evoke Pat Benatar. Bratty backing vocals and random interspersions of French are only icing on the cake. Even though the Plasticines self-identify as “garage rock,” with influences like Blondie and the White Stripes, they more accurately channel Sahara Hotnights or even the Donnas. Regardless of inspiration, the band has succeeded at “bitch rock.” Because when lead singer Katty Besnard wails, “I’m a bitch, in disguise,” you can’t help but believe her. [ERIN GRIFFITH]
JAY REATARD Watch Me Fall (Matador) Although he is almost entirely made of hair and looks like he belongs in a wood shop rather than a recording studio, Jay Reatard turns out amazingly structured songs that are an equal mix of sensitivity and rowdiness on Watch Me Fall, his first major release since 2006. Reatard’s music is often referred to as garage punk, but this release is more pop than a punk would ever care to admit. Galloping along with a steady strumming guitar, each of Reatard’s songs builds into the next. While opening track, “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me,” starts with toe-tapping, you may find yourself manically pogoing by the time the album comes to a close. “Nothing Now,” the record’s standout, is a bit darker than the rest, beginning with guitar that sounds like the buzzing // BUST / 081