NEW MUSIC

Black Kids

Partie Traumatic (Red Ant/Red Ink) 
***

This racially/sexually integrated Florida fivesome lit up MySpace over the last year. Why? Because they're young adults with all of teendom's horrors still fresh in their consciousness. What horrors, you ask? Mostly not getting laid and then, of course, getting laid. Yet lead singer Reggie Youngblood's whine illuminates these 10 new wave-ish tracks with both the alienation of The Cure and the peppiness of contemporary peers like The Go! Team and Los Campesinos!. They tell us what they know, which is “listen to your body tonight/it's gonna treat you right.” For actual teens, those are comforting words of wisdom. —DAN LOUGHRY

The Chap

Mega Breakfast (Ghostly International)
***

These Brits love the angular edges of Wire as much as the electronic placidity of LCD Soundsystem. And though they employ loads of synthetic blips here, their inner punk rules their third release. These are playful, arch, snide, silly, and, at times, just plain stupid dance-rock hybrids, starting with the manically-paced grime-punk of “They Have a Name” (“for boys like him,” the lyric goes), to the self-loving “Fun and Interesting” (“my generation needs another me”) to the long overdue world music piss-take “Ethnic Instrument” that sounds like a heavy metal version of Yello's “Oh Yeah.” As they themselves say, fun and interesting. —D.L.

Hercules and Love Affair

Hercules and Love Affair (Mute/DFA)
***1/2

Antony Hegarty's voice is a freak thing. His aching vibrato can reduce you to tears inside two bars of a song. (I witnessed this when Antony and the Johnsons played the Vista a few years ago.) Put that voice against the frisky thump of some old-school disco and Hegarty turns into scream-queen Sylvester. It's a liberating sound he makes on this debut—the mastermind of DFA stalwart Andrew Butler—along with a roster of other like-minded collaborators. The title characters are the male lovers of myth; the CD a song cycle of tragic gay love. Listen up, boys, because this one is very definitely for you. —D.L.

The Kinsey Sicks

Sicks! Sicks! Sicks!
**1/2

Depending on your reason for listening to this CD the trip is going to be hit or miss. If you're looking for sharp, cunning, beyond-gay satirical rewrites of established standards, such as “Fisters”—formerly known as the Irving Berlin penned “Sisters” or “Send In the Clones” formerly known as, c'mon, you know that one, then this might be your cup of tea, and will surely have you guffawing like no tomorrow. However, if you're looking for exemplary barbershop (beauty shop) quartet harmony you may be disappointed. The key behind any successful quartet is to move as one voice, phrasing and breathing together to present one sound. Despite the capability of their voices this quartet never seems to quite blend as solidly as it should. That said, their own “It Wouldn't Be Lovely” is as gorgeous a ballad as anything Linda Eder has ever bitten into. In the end it's a fun listen, and certainly never a drag. —BOB WERNER

CONCERT CALENDAR

White Lies

The newly signed gloom-pop West Londoners come to L.A. (And they ain't too shabby-looking neither!) The Echo. Wed., July 30. 7:30 p.m. $10. www.ticketmaster.com.

The Honorary Title

Following the release of Scream and Light Up the Sky, the indie kids swing into L.A. for one night only. The Troubadour. Sun., Aug. 3. 7 p.m. $12. www.ticketmaster.com.

The Ting Tings

Huge in the U.K., these bodacious British babes are bringing their sound to American shores! The El Rey. Wed., Aug. 6. 8 p.m. $16. www.ticketmaster.com.

Dr. Dog

In promotion of their new album Fate, these Philly-based rockers bring their psychedelic funk to the City of Angels. The El Rey. Fri., Aug. 8. 8 p.m. $15. www.ticketmaster.com.

HOMO MUST

Sam Sparro

The international gay superstar comes to West Hollywood to ignite a few sparks and break a few hearts. The Troubadour. Sat., Aug. 9. 8 p.m. $15. www.ticketmaster.com.