By Paul V.

Singled Out

Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To - Sony

Franz's first peak into their second album sizzles with synthy guitars, a massive vocal hook, and cheeky asides about famous arty friends and good old-fashioned blowjobs (giving, not getting!). This one comes stomping out of the speakers like a new-wave disco machine -- nearly as infectious as the clap in a whorehouse.

Gang Of Four - Return The Gift - V2

So, you say you love your Franz Ferdinand -- and your Bloc Party, Futureheads, Maximo Park, The Rapture, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the countless "new" agit-funk, dance-punk bands of the last few years? Well kiddies, sit back or stand at attention to the masters, the giants -- the band that did it first and still do it best. The original Leeds four-piece has reunited, and as we await new tracks, Return The Gift is the next coolest thing -- new re-recordings of the best tracks from their earliest albums and EPs. Aside from their obvious musical stylings, what adds to Gang Of Four's relevance 20-plus years later is how we -- meaning both America and Britain -- have seemingly reverted back politically to what feels like Reagan's U.S. and Thatcher's UK, thus the Gang's razor-sharp sociological musings on the class system ("Damaged Goods," "Paralyzed"), culture wars ("What We All Want"), and the military-industrial complex ("I Love a Man in s Uniform") still resonate -- loudly! Hell, they had a track called "Anthrax" back in 1979, and it still musters all the polemic vitriol, bristling guitars, and cold-blooded dynamics that made it a cult classic. Maybe somebody should drive by the White House and play "To Hell with Poverty" until Bush's head explodes? For the truest lesson in hacked-up guitar buzz over hooky bass lines and those choppy high-hat rhythms that have become the shorthand for post-punk that commands you to dance, you just found it.

Blackalicious - The Craft - Quannum

The Craft is an apt title for this ambitious album from Bay Area duo Blackalicious, resulting in a fully realized work that's futuristic yet retro, and very slick and soulful. MC Gift of Gab and beatmaster/DJ Chief Excel illuminate their roots in R&B and pop electronica while reconfiguring and energizing those influences for a new generation of hip-hop aficionados. Opening with the playfully catchy "World of Vibrations," Gab's identifiable KRS-One inspired voice nimbly jumps through the psycho-loopy hoops provided by Xcel. Multi-syllabic rhymes are characteristic of Gab's flow, and his hyperspeed precision is nearly jaw dropping here, proclaiming "MCs are puppets/Me I'm Jim Henson," just as the second half of the song breaks down into a sticky-funk jam. The spirit of Prince's "When You Were Mine" gets reincarnated on the hunkafunka could-be-a-smash first single, "Powers." Then, psychedelic dementia drives the collaboration with George Clinton on "Lotus Flower," and it's a touch of sinewy Euro-beat that infuses the Floetry-enhanced "Automatique." The most chilling track is "Egosonic Wardrums" -- clearly written and recorded way before Hurricane Katrina struck, yet uncannily related in its storytelling. Xcel's forte is his cinematic array of live instrumentation (strings, guitars, keyboards, percussion) and adventurous style. While Blackalicious are, technically, a rap group, this record is leaps and bounds beyond most rap. Think the multi-faceted creativity of folks like Sly Stone, De La Soul, DJ Shadow, OutKast, The Roots, Lyrics Born, Black Eyed Peas, and add this duo to that roster.

Pussycat Dolls - PCD - A&M

You couldn't go anywhere this past summer without hearing the creamy crunk of the PCD's "Don't Cha," but who would've thought a full album was on the way? Like a modern day Vanity Six (sans the lingerie) meets Spice Girls (sans the nicknames), Pussycat Dolls are a somewhat fabricated notion: a sextet of naughty, rail-thin burlesque tarts in booty shorts. And it should be noted that only leader Nicole Scherzinger handles the lion's share of vocals. It's tempting to hate how predictable and "heard this all before" the album sounds, except for the one thing: You can't deny how utterly infectious some of these songs are. Granted, there's nothing wholly original here, but your booty is assured a workout on hit-bound tracks like "Wait A Minute" (Timbaland's fierce duet), "Beep" (with Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am and featuring a genius string sample from E.L.O.'s "Evil Woman"), the Missy Elliott by way of Calcutta "Buttons," and the cocktail be-bop of "Right Now" (last heard covered by Siouxsie Sioux's Creatures project). Even their electro-funk version of "Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go" isn't embarrassing -- but the same can't be said for their wretched version of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff." Countless critics looking for depth will completely slag this, but sometimes some sugarcoated mindless fun and playful funk does the trick -- as does this debut. And it's not like Pussycat Dolls are pretending to be Patti Smith or something.

Catch Paul V. spinning tunes in Silver Lake: "MegaMonday" at MJ's, Dragstrip 66 (second Saturday each month at 1160 Vermont Ave.), Spit (third Saturday each month at Faultline), and "Milkshake" Thursday nights at MJ's. Tune in for his "Smash Mix" on Indie 103.1 FM on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.dragstrip66.com.