Datarock keeps its formula simple, fun and danceable

Call it what you want — new rave or nu-rave — but Norwegian electro-rocker Datarock is happy to be playing it, even if the tag, which originated with the English band the Klaxons, is cause for a bit of eye-rolling among those who remember the trance-heavy real raves.

"The term doesn't make sense," says singer-guitarist Fredrik Saroea, who with bassist-keyboardist Ketil Mosnes is the driving force behind Datarock. "But the youth culture needs something new now and then — or about every six weeks."

The current explosion in the indie dance movement — populated by the likes of Hot Chip, Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS), Low-Fi-Fnk and Justice — "is really kind of an international trend, and it's a fun thing to be part of because the audience is so engaged," Saroea says. "Our shows are a bit ravey, but the funny thing is the term totally re-energized Datarock without us having to change anything."

True, the red-tracksuit-wearing band, whose debut, "Datarock Datarock," came out this week on Nettwerk, is still the same outfit that rolls Devo, the Talking Heads and the Happy Mondays into one big disco ball. Don't look for the pointed lyrics of an LCD Soundsystem here; Datarock keeps things campy and playful on songs such as "I Used to Dance With My Daddy," "Princess" and its latest single "Fa-Fa-Fa."

And if anybody brings glowsticks to Datarock's show, they'll be more fashion statements than anything. Says Saroea: "Everybody wants to dance and work up a sweat. We're just trying to re-create the dance floor."

||| See Datarock perform tonight at the Troubadour.

||| Download "Fa-Fa-Fa" or stream the whole album here.

Touts for Wednesday, June 13

There's be an even bigger dance party at the Fonda Theatre, where the aforementioned Hot Chip headlines tonight (there's a DJ set later at Star Shoes). ... Bodies will be moving, too, at the Knitting Factory's front room, where Scissors for Lefty celebrates the release of "Underhanded Romance." ... On the Knitting Factory's main stage, meanwhile, Zoe and Babasonicos will be bringing it en espanol. ... And White Rabbits (see yesterday's post) are at Spaceland.