Stereo Alligator, Stereo Alligator

Stereo Alligator’s self-titled EP is a pretty cool offering from a 1980s-esque electronic duo. They sound like Interpol or She Wants Revenge, but with less monotonous vocals and, honestly, more interesting music, too. They have so many different synthesizer parts laced into one another that it takes a pretty powerful voice just to be heard from over them. Miguel Gomes accomplishes this well, with the help of his buddy Jorge Nuno backing him up. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, these guys know exactly how to please Americans with this piece of electronic mastery.

“Blow Away” starts the CD with a happy techno feel but holds a pessimistic attitude, with the pronouncement, “The world is on fire / and we all get burned,” as well as a chorus with a descending synth part and electric guitar. “Wake Me Up and Tell Me” has a slower tempo but remains a tad hectic-sounding, with all the synthesizers and begs, “wake me up and tell me that I’m not the only one.”

The yearning “Greedy World” has a catchy tune, although the repeated line “The animal in me will soon come out” shows a more serious side underneath the music. “Ruin” is a much more laid-back number, with a gentle steel guitar part alongside a drum machine and rain-like synths. And finally, “Lifting Up” is an optimistic piece about admitting when you’re wrong and moving on.

Influenced by synth-pop, Stereo Alligator recorded this truly American-sounding album in Spain and mixed it in New York, with help from their friend Paco Loco. They make it a point to keep with their heritage, in spite of being fluent in English. Even parts of their MySpace are in Portuguese. The lyrics can be a bit sinister for as jolly as the music sounds, but that’s what separates this from your general nu-New Wave number and keeps the music from coming off as childish. I think anyone who appreciates a good synth line or danceable tunes should give them a chance. Stereo Alligator just came out with an EP of acoustic versions of these songs, so be on the lookout for that, too.