Psapp's Galia Durant and Carim Clasmann don't wanna grow up, but they're more like garage-sale kids than Toys 'R Us brats. The London-based duo's debut album,
Tiger, My Friend, is full of toy keyboards, and squeaks and rattles sound off as Durant sings tales of separation anxiety, ponies, and zoos. Though her subject matter isn't always juvenile, the album would be cloying (and languid, thanks to Durant's sleepy delivery, which is reminiscent of Sarah Cracknell) if it weren't for Clasmann's beats. They're clipped and glitchy enough to build heavily layered highlights such as "Electricity in Pine Boxes" and the inexplicably titled "Curuncula" into Herbert-like masterpieces. A work of astonishing synergy,
Tiger, My Friend is the year's most productive playmate.