Hockey

Portland’s Hockey is already a huge hit in the UK, and it probably won’t be long before we follow suit. The quartet’s debut, Mind Chaos, might be something of a cross between the Talking Heads and the Strokes, with its jumpy rhythms and singer Benjamin Grubin’s mumbly, very Casablancas-esque vocals. It’s really too easy to see the appeal here – the exuberant groove of “Learn to Lose” and the irresistibly sexy shuffle of “Work” are seriously catchy and still psychedelic and soulful enough to keep the hipsters happy. Hockey’s already been billed as a new wave revivalist band – and in a consciously self-aware spirit, tracks like “Too Fake” poke fun at the very sheen of cool that the song’s pulsing beat exudes (“I’ve got too much soul for the world)”, while “Song Away” winkingly name-checks Roxy Music and goes as far as to declaim, “I like to let you know I’ll always be straight with you.” It’s all meta as fuck, but since the beats sound as good as these do, we’ll bite. All ages. E. THOMPSON

Wed., Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m., 2010