C*m On Feel the Boyz

Album Review

It's hard not to be charmed by a Japanese kitsch-electro-funk-hop duo that introduces itself on its second album by talking about "liking it chunky" and about its inability to rhyme. On C*m on Feel the Boyz the duo draws deeply on the sounds of the 1970s and early '80s, referring back to classic old-school hip-hop (check out the blocky lyrical phrasing on "Don't Say No to Bo!"), to trashy late-period disco (check out the vocoder on "The Disco Song"), and to vintage movie soundtrack music (check out the über-cheesy wordless backing vocals on "Ocha O Nomi Ni Iku Ka?"), while also nodding explicitly to Queen (the bassline on "The Next Station Is: Shibuya") and to Grandmaster Flash (the bassline on "Japaneeze Boyz"). But the album's best moment is the program-closing "Where Is Tony Massao?," which sounds like an electroclash remix of a Cornershop outtake. Tacked onto the end are two interesting (but not necessarily very compelling) remixes: a house-inflected update of their debut hit, "Are You Talking to Me???," and a slightly brittle remix of "The Disco Song." All in all, those who were captivated by the charmingly trashy debut of Torpedo Boyz will be sure to enjoy this one as well.