After selling more than 2 million copies of its 2004 debut album in the U.K., this saucy New York-based co-ed quintet returns with more exuberant dance-pop in the tradition of Bronski Beat and Erasure. The galloping disco beats and bouncy piano-driven melodies conjure the glory days of Elton John-led 1970s AM-radio pop and “Saturday Night Fever” mirror-ball clubs. John ups the glitz quotient with a couple of cameo appearances. There are also unlikely touches of pre-rock Americana, with banjo, Jew’s harp and a vaudeville-soaked Van Dyke Parks string arrangement. Tongue-in-cheek humor prevails, as epitomized by “She’s My Man” and an oddball love song to “Paul McCartney.” Even when weightier subjects intrude, such as misanthropy (“I Don’t Feel Like Dancin'”) and mortality (“Intermission,” “The Other Side”), the melodies remain relentlessly upbeat. All that falsetto-inflected cheeriness can get a bit wearying over 12 tracks and 47 minutes. But this expertly crafted pop will do just fine at a dance party or in iPod shuffle mode.
