White Rabbits

Milk Famous (TBD Records)

Don’t look now, but White Rabbits is verging on a cosmopolitan career. The band’s third album, Milk Famous, returns to the twitchy dance-rock that made this Brooklyn group such an unstoppable opening act, folding in dashes of Talking Heads’ jitter-pop and some blackened post-punk tautness. Mostly, though, it’s the third disc in a row with the onetime Missouri quintet concocting dense, elastic pop music with such efficiency that you’re forced to at least entertain the thought of transcendence. Cool precision of “Back for More”? The sharp mechanics of “Temporary”? Man, these are deft, singular White Rabbits songs. Sure, you can still make the Spoon comparison, but while Milk Famous is spinning, it’s pretty difficult to offer any valid disrespect. The stagger-strum closer “I Had It Coming” endlessly repeats titular mutters. Fame? Success? Cash? Review scores out of the safe range? It all deserves to be in the conversation. (Thu., 12mid, Club De Ville; Fri., 8:05pm, the Stage on Sixth, 11pm, Hype Hotel)

****

This article appears in March 16 • 2012.

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