Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Partie Fantastic!!! July 31, 2008
Nse Ette (Lagos, Nigeria)
12 out of 19 found this review helpful
As mentioned by another reviewer, US quintet The Black Kids (much like Brit duo The Ting Tings) are suffering from some backlash; it's okay to love and laud them while they're unknowns, then put them down when they hit the big time.
Ignore the snooty critics, this album is one of the best I acquired during my recent visit to the UK, even my cousin who isn't really into Rock music found it catchy.
Agreed, they do not reinvent the musical wheel (they largely toe the same line as "Hot fuss"-era Killers, especially opening cut "Hit the heartbreaks", complete with pseudo Brit accents) but still, their brand of dance/rock is incredibly catchy, from single "I'm not going to teach your boyfriend how to dance", the groovy pair of "Listen to your body tonight" and "Love me already", the buzzing Chic inspired "I wanna be your limousine", the slightly more downbeat but still brilliant "Hurricane Jane", to the Duran Duran channelling closing cut "Look at me (When I rock wichoo)", every song is upbeat and incredibly catchy.
The CD comprises just 10 songs, and there's really no need to go into each track as each is outstanding. Partie Traumatic? More like Partie Fantastic!!!
 Partie Traumatic July 22, 2008
A. J. Vice (Plano, TX)
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
Somewhere between Wizard of Ahhhs and Partie Traumatic, Black Kids lost the knack for production that made their debut EP such an engaging listen. While the songwriting remains solid on their debut LP, the album possesses a glossy sheen of production that is ill at ease among the band's skittish pop. The reworkings of Wizard of Ahhhs tracks all pale in comparison to their original counterparts, which had a darker, hazier vibe that was much more appealing for Black Kids' brand of anthemic pop. The new songs are all musically equivalent to the excellent material culled from Wizard of Ahhhs, but again the overproduction drags the arrangements down into a pristene sea of drab, cookie-cutter sound. The vocals don't fare well in this new production style, either, as Black Kids lead singer Reggie Youngblood takes on a haggard yelp with the treble levels on the record mixed so high.
However, Partie Traumatic still manages to be an enjoyable record. Ultimately, working with a professional producer hurt the band's sound, and though Partie Traumatic is by no means a bad listen, it doesn't meet the expectations created by the bands excellent debut EP. However, for fans of funky, anthemic pop, there will certainly be something to like.
Black Kids - Partie Traumatic 5.5/10 July 24, 2008
Rudy Klapper (Los Angeles / Orlando)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
Black Kids are the latest in a long line of "next-big-thing" bands trumpeted by musical tastemakers such as NME and Pitchfork, with their EP Wizard of Ahhs featured on numerous "Best New Music" lists. Copping heavily from the `80s, with a vocalist in the best Robert Smith tradition, and a deep bag of sugary melodies at their disposal, Black Kids seemed to have all the ingredients to make it big in the indie world. They're even from (Jacksonville!!!) Florida, and I have to give them credit for escaping that cultural black hole.
But as many bands do when the bullet train of Internet publicity hits them, smart decisions and good artistic choices tend to go out the window (see: Some Loud Thunder) in favor of cashing in on the hype. And so we have Partie Traumatic, Black Kids' debut album released almost a year after their EP but consisting of no less than four songs (all of them, in other words) from that record. That's 40% of this disc of "new" material. Sure, they've been "re-recorded," but honestly, everyone knows it's the same bleepin' song.
But wait, the songs are good, aren't they? After all, didn't Rolling Stone name Black Kids one of their "artists to watch" for 2008? Yes, the songs are good. They were good when everyone first heard them back in August '07. Catchy and irrepressibly urgent, the tunes bounce along on cheap synths and singer Reggie Youngblood's Cure-ish yearning yelp.
"I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" is the best of these four, although "Hit The Heartbrakes" comes in at a close second. Both cash in on quirky, appealing choruses and playful boy-girl vocal interplay. The sexy cowbell on "Heartbrakes" doesn't hurt, either.
Of the new songs, however, Black Kids doesn't seem to live up to much of the hype. To begin with, all of the songs sound pretty much the same to those on the EP, all four-on-the-floor beats and squeaky keyboards. Songs like "Listen To Your Body Tonight" and the title track seem practically interchangeable with the four from the EP, with only slight distinctions, such as a slightly more obnoxious synthesizer line than usual, to separate them from the pack.
Unfortunately, Partie Traumatic tends to coast along on cruise control for the majority of the album. Youngblood's voice goes from cute to tolerable to annoying by the middle of the album. That same needling `80s synth pops up in nearly every song, and virtually every tune skips along at the same vaguely dance-y tempo. And the lyrics are ridiculously inane, from "my girl's been a real whore / spending her time with Theodore" on "Love Me Already" to the unbelievable line "cuz it's so sticky in the Dirty South / it's hot as balls" on "Hit The Heartbrakes." Much like Youngblood's voice, the youthful charm quickly wears off with repetition.
At the end of the day, what Black Kids have offered up is a serviceable indie pop album that does present a number of viable singles and a glimpse at actual talent buried under a cloying affection for the `80s. One can only hope they survive long enough in the oversaturated world of Internet hype long enough to realize it.
 Victims of serious backlash July 24, 2008
ImNotaCylon
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I find it funny how Black Kids can put out a great EP that critics rave over, then nine months later they release that same EP with slightly higher production values and few similar sounding songs, those same critics can be found trashing the record.
To me, it seems like it was cool to like the Black Kids when no one had heard of them, but as soon as they became the next big thing, critics couldnt wait to drop them. They'll blame the production values or the non-EP songs for the change in opinion, but objectively speaking, this album does not stray that far from their EP and the early negative reviews are more likely due to reviewers wanting to keep their rep than anything.
For me 'Partie Traumatic' reminds me of 'Hot Fuss' by the Killers. Both albums are based on great raw sounding EPs and both consist of a few great singles connected by lesser, yet decent tracks. Yes the production is higher on this than on 'Wizard of Ahhs', but its not a deal breaker by any means. Yes, the lyrics are a bit silly at times, but to me, bands like this serve the purpose of making fun, danceable music, rather than deep contemplative compositions. And here, they serve that purpose well.
If you like the Cure/New Wave/Dance then you will like this album. Its not super deep, but not incredibly shallow either, just a fun album by a band that critics/snobs are rebelling against right now
very good album July 23, 2008
Olliver Walsh (atlanta, ga United States)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I'm not an audiophile, nor have i heard black kids earlier music, so this is just an ordinary joe review. I first heard black kids on npr's all song considered. The song was i'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you and I was hooked to an infectious sound that reminds me of earlier b-52s. to me the album doesn't dissapoint with all the songs having an infectious, party till 3 am feel. No, this album won't make you rethink your life, relationships or your grocery list, but it will make time past quicker and as previous reviewer said 'put a smile on your face'. good cd worth downloading.
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