Zero Zero

Anyone who thinks the Europeans and Japanese have the market cornered on retro boogie kitsch-pop has obviously never been introduced to this New Jersey trio. Originally a six-piece formed out of the ashes of seminal Jersey punk band Lifetime - although there's no traces of hardcore punk here - Zero Zero adopt an approach to music similar to that of Air, Arling and Cameron, Stereolab and Pizzicato Five. They have very simple, rump-shaking pop songs with sweet harmonies and cascading, angelic vocals that are punctuated with dissonant Moog squelching and organ fills. It's not a new sound, but when done right it's an awful lot of fun. And this record does it right.