The Tight Connection

Dan Geller and significant other Amy Dykes braved much hate mail and personal doubt before releasing the follow-up to 2001's "Out of the Loop." Having innocently chosen their name as a geographic reference to where they began and partially as a metaphor for their relationship, there was much doubt after September 11 as to whether they would remain I Am the World Trade Center. After smartly opting to keep the tag, their next disc makes no reference — aesthetically or otherwise — to the events surrounding the attacks. Sticking close to the synth pop-influenced material of their debut, the album sports noticeably higher fidelity (although Geller still does much of his production work on a laptop), catchier tunes, and an improved illustration of Dykes' vocals. Vocoder vocals ("The Postcard"), re-grooved funk loops ("Dancing Alone"), and nouveau tech-pop ("Believe in Me") are all effectively roped into this relatively short outing (all 11 tracks coming in at a total of just under 37 minutes). Covers such as the the Stone Roses' "Shoot You Down" and Blondie's "Call Me" are further indicators of the couple's keenly mixed affinities for both classic Brit-pop and new wave bubblegum.