Let’s get this out of the way up top: no, Solid Gold is not a syndicated top 40 countdown show which aired from 1980 to 1988 featuring the Solid Gold Dancers. But I could see the Solid Gold Dancers doing a fine routine to a couple of Solid Gold’s numbers—maybe the slinky “Bible Thumper,” or the dreamier “Who You Gonna Run To?” Now that we’ve cleared that up, here’s the deal: Solid Gold is a band with the ability to compel you to Shake. Your. Ass. 

A paradox is not an impossibility. Zoo Animal, the band’s self-titled second record, reveals itself to uphold such a maxim with a sharp yet subdued sound that is informed by equal measures of classical minimalism and ‘90s grunge. This contrast is just one of many as Zoo Animal’s stark, articulate pop music vacillates between gentle and aggressive, volatile and peaceful, light and dark. It’s graceful, hushed, soul-stirring music, yet it rests atop traditional rock instrumentation – simply guitar, drums, bass – that can turn visceral at the drop of a drumstick.

Jimmy 2 Times really knows how to rock a party rock a party—and if you think that last part was a typo, it's a crying shame you haven't seen Goodfellas. The lingo behind Jimmy's "Get Cryphy" party might need some explaining, too: "Cryphy" is the wild-child offspring of "Crunk" and "Hyphy," regional hip-hop styles that encourage getting raw and rowdy on the dance floor, and the super-hype soiree has been a huge success in First Avenue's VIP Room for more than a year.