*** Whitetown

WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

(Chrysalis/Brilliant)

Jyoti Mishra, Whitetown's mysterious one-man gang, is on a mission: to prove that the "new" new wave of Brit pop isn't just about being spicy, girly, or Tricky. Unlike the industrial electronics of Prodigy or the Chemical Brothers, Whitetown suggests the early to mid '80s, with an obvious fascination for the beats and blips of Gary Numan and Kraftwerk, or the romantic flow of ABC and "Save a Prayer"-era Duran Duran. "Your Woman" gets dance-floor fluid, with its jazzy horn and piano samples and Mishra's androgynous, breathy vocals.

The rest of Women in Technology is just as smart. "Wanted" and "Thursday at the Blue Note" feature vocalist Ann Pearson, whose airy highs and smoky low notes are as chilling as the retro synthesizers that float beneath it. And on "The Shape of Love," contributing guitarist Robert Fleay offers the album's only prominent guitar lick, which, with the soft, programmed snare hits and Mishra's pliant humming, makes the Whitetown journey back to 1985 well worth the trip.

-- Jonathan Vena