Photo via Austin Chronicle

The moral of the story is that I should listen to Skeet on Mischa more. Because it’s otherwise inexplicable why I’ve yet to write about Smell favorites Mika Miko–LA’s answer to the X-Ray Spex and Germs smorgasbord of Love is All. Their official sophomore debut, We Be Xuxa drops on May 5th on the always dependable Post Present Medium, and it’s certain to catapult them to the next level, whatever that means.

Occasionally, the band’s raw, unvarnished punk leanings feel less like an aesthetic decision than a drift towards the inchoate. But for the most part, their sugar rush snarl and serrated guitars lift stealthily concealed pop leanings. My favorite moments come when Mika Miko are less wilfully obtuse, especially on “Sex Jazz,” the record’s longest track at just a shade over three minutes. Originally released as part of the Sub Pop 7″ Inch club, “Sex Jazz,” manages to do the impossible: be almost as good as both sex and jazz.

Pre-Order: Mika Miko-We Be Xuxa

Download:
MP3: Mika Miko-”Sex Jazz”

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 13th, 2009 at 4:30 pm and is filed under Are You From the Lester Bangs School of Thought?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.