Vitesse

Judging by the press release, Vitesse are more of a project than a continuing entity. The group’s sound is created by Hewson Chen, Joshua Klein, and a whole lotta keyboards and programming. Chen’s vocals can charitably be described as relaxed — they reminded me of the SCTV Perry Como parody. Recorded in only two days and featuring a loopy deconstruction of Cheap Trick’s “Southern Girls,” there is a looseness here not always found in this type of music. It’s a mood piece with the odd flourish (guitar distortion, female vocal on “Greener Than The Everglades”) that keep it from becoming too monotonous. Fans of early ‘80s synth pop, Magnetic Fields, or Brian Eno and John Cale’s Wrong Way Up should seek this out.