Mika Miko: We Be Xuxa
Mika Miko's last proper album, C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. earned the L.A. lady punks props by merging spastic hooks and focused amateurism. We Be Xuxa is a superior album, due largely to the addition of drummer Seth Densham, whose motorik beats refine the group's visceral, art-punk kick. "Blues Not Speed" encapsulates their growth and opens the palette for what is perhaps the group's catchiest Dada manifesto, "Turkey Sandwich." A cover of the Urinals' "Sex" pays homage to their southern California punk roots. And with "Sex Jazz," the subtle no wave leanings of their past aren't so subtle anymore. We Be Xuxa kicks the group's infectious grooves up a notch, by fine-tuning the art of what happens when primitivism and high-energy grooves collide. 5 out of 5 stars