The Cool Kids

After a peculiar wait, the Cool Kids finally grace us with a "debut" LP. The "indie rap" duo (oh how we hate that term) have been threatening to drop some full-length steez since the much-heralded (in hipster darling circles) Gone Fishin' mixtape more than a minute ago (2009, to be exact). Freed of the shackles of former indie label Chocolate Industries, Antoine "Sir Michael Rocks" Reed and Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll benefit from a timely link up with Pharrell Williams. When Fish Ride Bicycles comes correct (with the goofy "Penny Hardaway" featuring the always reliable Ghostface), showcases some weighty boom bap ("Rush Hour Traffic") and gets breezy on ya ("Summer Jam"). So, brace yourselves: When Fish Ride Bicycles is worth the wait. And, yes, the Midwest dudes still keep the 808-backed laconic flow, by way of Eric B & Rakim. And, no, the album won't blow your mind to the nth degree. What it will do is satiate that hunger for straight-laced, consistent hip-hop that hits when it's supposed to, serving up an even-keeled, rarely wavering tempo on all 11 tracks.