You've Seen Us... You Must Have Seen Us...

by Charles SpanoKaito plays connect the dots with crunchy Sonic Youth noise pop and the wigged-out jive of a hopped-up Beta Band. You've Seen Us... You Must Have Seen Us..., the Norwich, U.K. band's full-length debut, includes new material as well as previous singles that were honed during Kaito's ballistic live shows and then re-recorded. The most attractive features of the band include Nikki Colk's candied, indie girl cute vocals that float over waves of feedback (the Breeders-esque "Thwipside" and the Goo-y "Povarina" for example), crinkled guitar riffs ("'Go'"), and video game bleeps and wiggles ("Manual Speed"). When at their best, like on the crazed, jangle, and feedback pop of "Bow Wow" and the smash and burn "Shoot Shoot," Kaito adds just enough crooked, electro tomfoolery to the wash-over-me blast of rock & roll to create feel-good, party, post-punk art rock that rivals the danceability of collaged rave tunes. But get in the mood because listening to this without being charged up could drive you insane.