Mixed Emotions (Bonus Track Version)

Following up a well-received debut EP, the Brooklyn duo Tanlines offer a distinctive fusion of electro-pop and Third World rhythms on Mixed Emotions, their first proper album. Eric Emm and Jesse Cohen manage to invoke the cool techno spirit of Depeche Mode and Erasure, with touches of Vampire Weekend’s bubbly charm evident as well. Backing up the duo’s knack for creating catchy keyboard textures is their lyrics' yearning emotions, captured in Emm’s plaintive, angst-tinged vocals. The album's songs obsess over the need for personal change: tracks like “Real Life” (driven by clattering timbales) and “Brothers” (drenched in ‘80s-style synthesizer gloss) are imbued with a soul-deep restlessness. The heavier aspects of Tanlines’ themes are balanced by the music's uplifting rush, whether the grooves are hard-charging (as in “Green Grass”) or in a balmy West Indian vein (“Cactus”). “All of Me” and “Yes Way” show the duo’s ability to craft dance floor hits; “Rain Delay” and “Nonesuch” prove them equally adept at darker, introspective excursions.