Crimes of Passion

San Diego's Crocodiles refine their noise pop to perfection on 2013's Crimes of Passion. Here they return to the basics, with the duo's previous auxiliary members sent packing and Charles Rowell and Brandon Welchez only calling in additional musicians where necessary. Bringing on The Raveonettes' Sune Rose Wagner to supervise production was exactly the genius stroke they'd been needing for some time. The songs sound lighter and less concerned with a need to emphasize the heaviness that comes naturally to this very loud duo. This means "Marquis De Sade," "Cockroach," and especially "Heavy Metal Clouds" (where they introduce synths to soften but solidify their attack) come across as positively poppy in the most joyful way. You may still rightfully wonder what kind of malcontents linger behind song titles such as "Me and My Machine Gun," "Gimme Some Annihilation," and "I Like It in the Dark," but Crocodiles have turned those sentiments into such pretty songs that they're either really dangerous or good folks who love the magic of great music and theater.