Album Review: Alphabeat - The Beat Is... (3.5/5)

Since I'm reliving 1990 on my blog this year, the timing of the release of Alphabeat's second album, The Beat Is... is just perfect. The Danish band's second album sounds like deliciously reheated leftovers of early '90s dance pop acts like Seduction, Black Box and The Real McCoy. As kitschy retro-pop bands go, this is pretty lightweight. Scissor Sisters they are not. But that doesn't mean they aren't a good bit of fun.

The album is typically front-loaded with the best songs like "The Spell," a clever double entendre on the band's name that draws its inspiration from early '90s hits like "Two to Make It Right." When released in some countries in the fall, this was the title track--a far better name I think, although this album's title track is a pretty decent confection of synthesizers and drum programming, with some vocal auto-tuning to add a modern touch. "DJ" is predictably dancier dance pop, while "Hole in My Heart" has a hooky chorus to make it a worthy second single.

After a great start, the album loses steam with slower, less enticing numbers like "Chess" and the quite dreadful "Q&A." But upbeat songs like "Heat Wave" and "Always Up with You," with its very '90s-styled electronic keyboards, keep the party fire sufficiently stoked. Not a gem, but certainly far from a lump of coal.

Best: The Spell, Hole in My Heart, The Beat Is, DJ