Pitchfork

Remember those elysian nights sitting in a cafe by the Seine, nodding your head to the Parisian take on America's bygone disco era? Sure you do. And VHS or Beta remember it, too, except for the fact that when they immortalized that airy, romantic chapter of their lives, they were actually living in Louisville, only a few years removed from an obsession with guitar noise-rock, and they may or may not have ever actually been to France.

Still, that album-- 2002's Le Funk-- had both novelty (live band plays French house tracks!) and ahead-of-the-curve fashionability (everybody dance now!) going for it. But times have changed, my young cub: They've now signed to Astralwerks, and, on September 21st, will be parachuting into a different world, where rock kids wanting to shake a little ass are nothing new and everyone loves The Cure (again). Still, VHS or Beta have integrated their own 80s favorites in their music, and the results have a little something for everyone, with rockin' vocal-centered songs alongside instrumental disco workouts. And if nothing else, they'll sell a few copies to people who've been stranded on desert islands and need a quick summary of 2004's collective vibe. Tracklist:

01 Night On Fire
02 You Got Me
03 Nightwaves
04 The Melting Moon
05 No Cabaret!
06 Forever
07 Alive
08 Dynamize
09 The Ocean
10 Irreversible

Preceding the album's release, selected heartland cities will host VHS or Beta's ineluctably sweaty live show. Voila:

08-11 Chicago, IL - The Double Door
08-13 Indianapolis, IN - The Patio Party at Midwest Music Fest
08-20 Nashville, TN - Exit In
08-27 Lexington, KY - The Dame
08-28 Cincinnati, OH - Neon's