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Written by Leah Martin Tuesday, 25 September 2007 14:11

I actually had the urge to do the robot in my chair, from this track on for the full 37 minutes of the album.

The British duo that makes up Simian Mobile Disco was inspired in their early days—those formative college years—to start a rock band, name it Simian, and proceed to give up halfway through a U.S. tour after playing to indifferent audiences and selling few records.

They finally got the response they longed for when they started playing electronic gigs (while still touring with Simian) and, supposedly in jest, began referring to themselves as Simian Mobile Disco. They broke into the club scene with a Simian track, "Never Be Alone," remixed by the French electro group Justice, which is still an anthem that energizes clubbers worldwide.

After a stint producing for the Klaxons and Arctic Monkeys, they released Attack Decay Sustain Release on Wichita, the label that is home to Bloc Party. The album—named after the ADSR function on a synthesizer—puts the group firmly into heavy electro pop with big beats and hooks to spare.

The first track "Sleep Deprivation" builds into a classic sounding synth line—strongly reeking of Daft Punk without being a carbon copy. This instrumental opener leads you into the album, making you curious about what's to come.

"It's the Beat" is held together by The Go Team!'s Ninja, whose voice inspires classic dance moves in even the most sedentary listener. I actually had the urge to do the robot in my chair, from this track on for the full 37 minutes of the album.

"Hustler," another fabulously club-ready track (or just dance-in-your-living-room-ready), features New York singer Char's throaty voice: "I'm a hustler baby, that's what my daddy made me." In "Love," "spell" is s-p-e-l because apparently "love is all you need to know."

Most of the tracks were cut down to three or four minutes for the studio album, which makes it short and sweet pop that keeps you interested from beginning to end. SMD embraces their cheesiness in their debut album, with catchy beats and hooks that reverberate through your head for days. B+ | Leah Martin

RIYL: Daft Punk, Digitalism, LCD Soundsystem