Not all dance music is party music, but all party music is at heart dance music. That seems to be the general philosophy of CSS, who slave for rhythms that make you move. They're from Brazil, but, truth be told, the group's second album, Donkey, could pass for agitated dance-punk from just about any corner of the United States or Europe between 1979 and now. During that span the B-52s did more or less the same thing as CSS, only with more originality, fun and -- ultimately -- success. Which isn't to say this disc's cavalcade of easy hooks is without its pleasures. In fact, it's all about pleasures -- from the angular guitars of "Jager Yoga" and "Rat Is Dead (Rage)" to the tough New Wave synths of "Left Behind" and the clubland nod "Believe Achieve." While CSS has mastered the hook, there's not much substance coursing beneath the beats and riffs, which fly by almost too fast to register before the album's compact 40 minutes have elapsed. It's a rush, to be sure, but for a band so rich in character -- the full band name Cansei de Ser Sexy ("Tired of Being Sexy") and the singer goes by Lovefoxxx -- there's something oddly anonymous about what they've drummed up here. It's like they're all worked up with nowhere to go.

-- Joshua Klein