Tiger Baby

Danish synth-pop trio Tiger Baby adds its name to the growing list of acts reviving and revitalizing the sound of early-Eighties New Wave dance music. Vocalist Pernille Pang possesses the kind of breathy purr that can express both simmering sexuality and ironic detachment, often at the same time, which adds to the music's retro charm. Pang's pleading vocals try to coax a reluctant lover into action on "Parkova," which blends a Motown-influenced backbeat with deliriously swirling synthesizers. "In Your Heart" delivers the kind of big, bold emotional statement Erasure is so adept at, but where Andy Bell would over-emote to drive home the lyrics' aching loneliness, Pang keeps things down to earth with an understated vocal that offers a shoulder to cry on, inviting for a more gentle, measured unpenning of emotion. The U.S. release includes a breezy, dance-happy cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" that turns the suicidal desperation of the original inside out with a bouncy disco rhythm and funky synthetic handclaps.