ACL Fest Saturday Reviews
By Thomas Fawcett, Fri., Sept. 26, 2008
CSS
Donkey (Sub Pop)São Paulo, Brazil, fivepiece CSS invaded earbuds worldwide when Apple featured the criminally catchy "Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex" from 2006 debut Cansei de Ser Sexy (literally, "I'm tired of being sexy") hocking the iPod Touch. Like fellow Brazilian lo-fi synth rockers Bonde do Rolê, CSS specializes in bratty, debaucherous dance-floor revelry. Sadly, Donkey's slick production has polished away much of that charm, and bland electro dance anthems like "Let's Reggae All Night" typify the ride. Singer Lovefoxxx confronts domestic violence and kills the bastard to boot on "Rat Is Dead (Rage)," but it falls flat, sandwiched between cheeky tracks about drinking all day and dancing all night. Kafka-esque "I Fly" is sonically grating and lyrically befuddling, but the band redeems on "Move," a neon Lycra-loving throwback sure to make you do just that. (3:30pm, AT&T Blue Room stage.)