It’s really hard to dislike what CSS is doing on their debut album for Sub Pop records, Cansei De Ser Sexy. The young sextet from San Paolo, Brazil, truly has a knack in causing an unforeseen addiction to their overall catchy as fuck sound.
In what plays out like a semi-replica of Peaches or The Sounds, CSS delivers a similar version of electro-rock that is surprisingly refreshing. Be it their relative inexperience (formed in 2003 with little background on their instruments) or their youthful exuberance, CSS has learned the art of the hook and developed solid rhythms for dance floor mechanics.
Cansei De Ser Sexy is mostly consistent throughout: silly lyrics about fucking, bitchiness and alcohol atop of detached and quirky synth lines, simple drums, and muted guitars. “Alala,” “Lets Make Love And Listen To Death From Above,” and “Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex” exemplify this easy aesthetic and provide the platform for Lovefoxx’s sexy and sometimes broken foreign delivery. Her vocals are prominent in the tinny-as-hell production, either boasting about art in “Art Bitch” or meeting Paris Hilton on “Meeting Paris Hilton.”
While CSS is neither groundbreaking nor the next big thing, it doesn’t matter. Cansei De Ser Sexy, which means “Tired of Being Sexy” in Portuguese, creates a bizarre enthusiasm, particularly with the underground electro crowd and through extensive downloading of their hard-rocking tracks. Check them out.
