Chin Chin

The Brooklyn trio of Jeremy Wilms (an Atlanta native), Wilder Zoby and Torbitt Schwartz, who also spend time as rapper El-P’s backing band, have little to offer on The Flashing, The Fancing, Chin Chin's third full-length of atmospheric euro-disco and jazzy, polite funk. It's palatable enough, but it clearly aspires to be more than background music, and too frequently it doesn't succeed.

The hazy, soft-focus disco on a track like "Stay" puts The Flashing, The Fancing more on the level of a cut-rate Jamiroquai than Stevie Wonder. The vibe of songs like "That's Where I'll Be" or "It's Ok" is more flaccid than relaxed, a forgettable mish-mash of late '70s fusion. Jazzy, skronky solos on "Kings" at least lend the album a little bit of unpredictable pep, but just when a those horn bleats hint that a moment of ecstasy might be just around the corner, the track cuts out and leads into the tepid "Peterdactyl," a spaced-out instrumental that isn't so much a buzzkill as it is a mood neutralizer; it's not a splash of cold water to shock you out of your frenzy, it's hours-old bathwater.

Chin Chin's fiery live show can be a thing unto itself, and the trio's core lineup can expand up into the teens to round out its performances. Its shows can be hypercharged, sweaty celebrations sustained by an hypnotizingly locked-in groove. They can be exciting, interesting and fun; they can be everything this album isn't.

—Chris Hassiotis
04.24.09