CROWDCTRL

I’ve been a solid fan of electronica since the old Jr Vasquez days. Those high school tastes soon gave way to the Chemical Brothers, DJ Shadow, DNTEL, and on into electronica applied in progressively more unique and adventurous ways.

The English duo Psapp pulls me even further down that path, luring me into their den of relaxation with sticky sweet electronica and before I know it grooving me to some crazy good bossa jazza nova.

I discovered Psapp (pronounced “Sap”) on the soapy drama Grey’s Anatomy. The theme song from the oddly attractive intro totally got to me. They kept playing it after the episode too, and with Caryn’s recent acquisition of the season 2 DVD, the track was squarely in my head.

That track, “Cozy in the Rocket”, sounds so Scandinavian. Much like the sweet and sexy sounds of this Swedish group I love, Club 8, this track is as sweet as honey. Drippy, sugary. It’s got this groovin’ bassline behind these light chiming bells, back and forth electronic loops and beats, and this female voice that’s at once mysterious and familiar.

This is precisely the stuff you’d hear on one of my old late night shows on WUOG down in Athens.

But “Cozy” isn’t on either of Psapp’s two studio records, 2004’s Tiger, My Friend and this year’s The Only Thing I’ve Ever Wanted, but rather on the Grey’s Anatomy OST (which with Rilo Kiley, Postal Service and Medeski, Martin & Wood isn’t a bad buy at all, and available on iTunes).

The tracks on Wanted thankfully are as light and satisfying as “Cozy”. The opener, “Hi”, grabs this bossa nova type beat and hangs some thoughtless guitar loops atop of Galia Durant’s witty lyrics sung with a bit of an “I don’t have time for you” attitude. This is something you might hear at an oxygen bar or in a Robert Altman flick.

Other standout tracks:

“Needle and Thread”: Tons of drums. Lots of quirky sounds, but it gives way to a soft melodic chorus. Background organs sound like Napoleon Dynamite or The Royal Tenenbaums.

“Hill of Our Home”: Darker, much moodier than the others. Strong bass, slow piano, light beats. Hypnotic. I get lost in this song.

“Eating Spiders”: Very addictive beatness here. Galia’s voice is at her best I think, sounding a bit Didoish. Great mood.

Bottom line: grab this CD if you’re a fan of these Postal Service -style tracks that lace all sorts of sounds into rock, jazz, and country music. RIYL: Stereolab, DNTEL, Ill Lit, Bjork, college radio.