Geiger’s mix of “I Think About You” was one of this writer’s favorite Kompakt Pop’s tracks to yet surface, so this full-length on Firm was a nice surprise. A surprise because there is hardly anything here that could be described as straight dance music. Nice because it’s the sort of rock music that’s highly indebted to dance music and wouldn’t be anything without it. “Cocain-E” is LCD Soundsystem fronted by Jamie Lidell, “Five Years” is a potent pop track that veers off into metal for the choruses, and “Studio Star” indulges in the acid narcotic. A wide-ranging pop album, Out of Tune might just be Cologne’s answer to Phoenix.

Firm / FIRM CD01
[Todd Burns]