“Burning”
from the album Dreams
2006
iTunes
If Europe were ever to manufacture sleek, sexy 8-bit video games, Berlin-based the Whitest Boy Alive would be the continent’s Advantage, humanizing simple electronic music into organic, warm-blooded drum/bass/guitar pop. King of Convenience Erlend Øye’s fey vocals give this organism a soul, engaging in pillow talk while the backing band dowses Phoenix and Hot Chip‘s lothario dance pop in sterile German austerity. Like the finest Bauhaus architecture, every instrument part’s efficiently measured to a T before joining to form the edifice. Yet despite such utilitarianism, the band still pulls off the charm — this is architecture you can dance about. Thanks to the peerless David Hasselhoff, “Burning” ain’t exactly off-setting Germany’s sexy deficit with the U.S., but it’s a swell down payment.