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Album Reviews

The concept of funky Germans may still raise sniggers in some corners, but after decades of state of the art electronic beats and moves, the dead horse is not merely well-beaten but turned into glue. So it's no surprise that the country would have produced its own kind of neo-'70s lounge beat sass -- if the Beastie Boys (and, less flatteringly, the Fun Lovin' Criminals) can do it, why not three guys based out of Hamburg? The key difference is how downright sweet International Pony sounds a lot of the time, much like their underrated countrymen in Surf -- a good chunk of this album isn't too far removed from something like the Field Mice or any of its many followers, a gentle pop reworked through different lenses (check out "Gravity" for a stellar example, with Rica Blunck's guest vocals being the killer touch). The group's second full-length effort, four years after their first, sounds a bit like that style sent through a compressor with settings on "Flat Beat" and Microhouse -- it's hardly an exact comparison but the stripped-down and minimal kick of Mit Dir Sind Wir Vier is the type of thing that sneaks up on a listener rather than clouting one over the head. No bad thing, since the moody crawl of songs like "Still So Much" and "Vodka Biene" could easily be backing tracks for any number of MCs and singers in the States (and give it time -- they probably will be). It's little surprise that the perfect sleaze/electro of "Gothic Girl" stood out as the main single, thanks to a much more upfront beat and some wry hilarity in the lyrics (thus the chorus "Hey little gothic girl watch out/You might get a suntan"); the American release contains both a bonus remix and the video of said song. [The CD was also released with bonus tracks.] ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide