Barcelona, Spain-based duo the Pinker Tones uses its nonconformist Catalan background as something of an excuse for its unconventional approach toward music. On their third full-length, Wild Animals, Professor Manso and Mr. Furia channel their eccentricities through electronics with a decided pop bent.
Straight-up pop anthems such as "Happy Everywhere" and "Hold On" see them singing in English and adhering to a traditional song structure, sounding for all the world like an old-fashioned, native-English-speaking rock and roll band. Elsewhere, such as on "On Se Promenait" and "S.E.X.Y.R.O.B.O.T.," they channel their inner Daft Punk, not only singing in French but also adopting that French duo's style of digital dance-pop. While the imitation is admirable, it seems an odd choice to mimic another culture's interpretation of electronics. But when the Pinker Tones adopt an island vibe on "Whistling Song," the coconut-tinged percussive rhythms seem just right. They also feature their own country's sounds on "Electrotumbao" and "Biorganized," with identifiable Spanish tones of guitar and horns. And no matter from which part of the world they draw inspiration, Manso and Furia make the tunes work on Wild Animals by coloring them all, well, pink.
