Cuter than cute: Matt & Kim are back

Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino have never been particularly interested in complexity. With their 2009 album “Grand,” the pair — who perform and record as Matt & Kim — threw away the glossy synth sounds and pricey studio magic of their debut and opted instead for a simple combo of hard-hitting percussion and catchy piano riffs. The formula worked wonders, as the album’s first single, “Daylight,” found its way onto thousands of college party playlists and earned the Brooklyn duo a prime performance slot at the 2009 MTVU Woodie Awards.

True to form, Matt & Kim’s new record, “Sidewalks,” clings to the same sounds and styles that made them indie darlings while throwing in a few bells and whistles — literally — to keep things fresh.

“Block After Block,” the album opener, features buzzy, cheap-sounding synths and punchy snares, all put together in typically disorganized fashion under Johnson’s nasally vocals. The manic sound that has become Matt & Kim’s staple is still identifiable, but the rough edges and gritty do-it-yourself quality that characterized “Grand” — recorded in Johnson’s childhood home in Vermont — are harder to find. This is due mainly to producer Ben Allen — once the in-house engineer at P. Diddy’s Bad Boy Records — who steps behind the scenes to give “Sidewalks” a more professional feel.

Songs like “AM/FM Sound” and “Good For Great” — all peppy, stuttering synths and delightfully sloppy drums — recall the energy and playful enthusiasm of “Grand,” with a few well-placed whirs and a driving bass line adding the extra spice that Johnson and Schifino have picked up since their “Daylight” days.

“Cameras,” the first single, is at once the record’s most entertaining and perplexing track. Dominated by a tightly metered percussion line that seems like it was plucked from some old school hip-hop, the track is undeniably fun and danceable. Still, it is perhaps too clean and too polished to be on an album recorded by a band that regularly breaks instruments while they perform. That’s not to say that the song isn’t enjoyable, but it does seem uncomfortably glossy for the likes of Matt & Kim.

Despite all that, “Sidewalks” is a very solid follow-up, and it is to Johnson and Schifino’s credit that they’ve managed to craft a truly enjoyable record while juggling their mammoth touring schedule and transitioning into a real studio setting. The duo’s decision to have Allen produce the album signals that they are ready to take their recording careers more seriously, and that is only good news for their legions of fans — including those lucky enough to have caught the pair’s performance at Tower Club during Lawnparties in spring 2009. Though it is unlikely that they will ever make the leap from loveable indie band to superstardom, as bands like Vampire Weekend and Phoenix managed to do, “Sidewalks” leaves little question that Matt & Kim’s best days are still ahead of them.

4 Paws

Pros The frenetic, enthusiastic, jump-on-the-table-and-dance energy is still there.