Shy Child: Liquid Love

New York duo Pete Cafarella and Nate Smith first gained attention in America's nu-rave scene, wearing orange hoodies and scoring a cult hit with jerky 2007 electro-stomper Noise Won't Stop. However, they seem to have matured, their fourth album delivering a sound somewhere between the Scissor Sisters' exhilarating falsetto and the edgier global funk of Remain in Light-era Talking Heads. On tracks like the terrific Disconnected, Shy Child they reach that elusive collision of dancefloor exhibitionism and existential introspection. There's a sense of familiarity, whether in their use of a Fleetwood Mac sample and Chic bell sounds, or the way a Jenn Vix narrative ("I used to be in bands...") recalls how the Orb used a Rickie Lee Jones conversation in Little Fluffy Clouds. However, it's unusual to find a band equally at home with electronic funk and soft rock who can produce an album that will delight fans of either.