I apologize if you spend more time reading this blurb than it takes to listen to a Matt & Kim song. It's not like they give me much choice: their best tracks on their debut album usually clock in at only a little bit over two minutes in length. When you've only got a Casio keyboard and a drum set to your name, though, I guess that's to be expected.

Like a new wave White Stripes (if both players were as untrained as Meg, that is), Matt and Kim hammer out endless variations on a simple template: Matt plinks out four or five notes on his Casio, Kim keeps the beat and little more, sometimes Matt overdubs another keyboard (or is it the same one on a different setting?). Why does this stuff work? I'm pretty much convinced that humans are hardwired for this type of gleefully-stupid-marshmallow-soft pop music. Or maybe it's just me.