BM LINX - Kids On Fire

(For The Record, March 15, 2009)

Single review

Another day, another effortlessly cool NYC beat combo. Is there some sort of factory churning them out at such a rate, so exquisitely formed and without flaw?

Well, obviously not, because these BM LINX musicians spring to attention thanks to the efforts of Brit producer Alan Moulder whose breathtaking CV includes work with Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine.

Take that, Yankees.

'Kids On Fire' starts as if with a sonic boom, all fur flying and exclamation. A relentless beat plunges the ear straight into indie dance territory, but this is no old retread - exhilarating to the last.

Vocalist Tony Diodore spits the lyrics with a venom which braces, and the charisma positively leaps from the speakers with each note. It's hard to pick out the actual poetry on show here - why the kids are on fire is actually anybody's guess - but with Diodore's great vocal invoking Dandy Warhols howler Courtney Taylor, the whole thing packs a terrific punch.

The relentless electro beeps give birth to a chugging behemoth of cool, sounding for all the world like a Men, Women and Children-meets-The Rapture love-in - meaty, heavy and not to be messed with.

The second track on the single is more of the same, a grimy underground dance hit with a penchant for synths. Lovely indeed.