Burning Boats

Starting with the moody click-and-electronic-snap of the title track, Pupkulies & Rebecca find further ways to explore an understated pop approach on their third album that may never be too brash for the charts but works perfectly for the quietly inclined. It doesn't hurt that a playful sense of mix and match is even more evident in their music than before, something that the acoustic guitar-led "Nouvelle Chance" brings to the fore even as the understated drive of the beats holds strong. Other examples include the title track's piano break, suggesting figures ranging from Kurt Weill to Nick Cave, even as the nervous percussion and the brilliant mid-song buzzing synth addition to "Ton Chauffeur," and even as the easygoing performance by Rebecca works above it just so. Moments like the sly 1984-era Depeche Mode pulse of "Hold It Tight" and the slow, steady ratcheting up of tension on "Pink Pillow," as both musicians flatly but relentless trade the lyric "Keep on walking" over a sharp arrangement, further add to the album's careful appeal.