Fist Bump: MSTRKRFT, 'Fist of God'

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IN THE ENORMOUS REALM of bad album covers, the one for electronic duo MSTRKRFT's sophomore album, "Fist of God" (Dim Mak/Downtown), may just be so obnoxious that it's actually fitting: An optical illusion of different naked girls' asses and legs, layered on top of each other to create the knuckles and fingers of a 3D fist coming toward your face.

What's the message here?

MSTRKRFT is here to rock your body — and the group is going to punch its house stylings straight to your brain.

Over the past three years, the Toronto twosome has made a career through remixing hipster favorites — Wolfmother's "Woman," Justice's "D.A.N.C.E.," Chromeo's "Tenderoni" and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Zero," to name a few — and MSTRKRFT's 2006 album, "The Looks," produced three popular club singles in the form of "Easy Love," "Work on You" and "Street Justice." With "Fist of God," Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P crank their synths up way high and deliver 10 tracks full of galloping bass, video-game-like sound effects and down-and-dirty synthesizers that are best suited for your next grind session.

The album basically ping-pongs between instrumental tracks and those with either sung or rapped parts, which are provided from various guest vocalists such as R&B songstress Lil' Mo, soul crooner John Legend, Wu Tang's Clan's Ghostface Killah and Jahmal Tongue, drummer for fellow Torontoian rock band The Carps. Although the songs might not all have lyrics to go along with MSTRKRFT's dynamic, vigorous beats, the hyperactive tracks ooze that pulsing hedonistic vibe that makes club music great.

As a result, "Fist of God" is totally about excess, whether it's the brutal, hip-breaking jams or the topics of partying and sex. Album opener "It Ain't Love" sounds like Daft Punk during its "Discovery" era, with numerous strobe-like synthesizer lines enveloping Lil' Mo's voice as she half-rebukes, half-pleads with a former suitor: "I'll be dancing, you'll be wishing / You still had my love," "I have had enough" and "It ain't love what you doing to me, baby," she proclaims. The whole thing reeks of '90s club music (think of those late-night infomercials you see on Nick at Nite), but far more precise and sassy (you can thank Lil' Mo for that).

Immediately afterward comes the lyrics-lacking "1000 Cigarettes," which is a ramped-up, far-reaching and spacey odyssey that could fit seamlessly into Stanley Kubrick's "2001"; "Bounce," on which rapper N.O.R.E. and emcee/singer Isis of Canadian duo Thunderheist trade lines about how "all I do is party" and "bounce low, bounce high," with synths punctuating the end and beginning of each one's delivery; and the instrumental "Vuvuvu," which makes up for its lack of vocals by sounding like Nintendo's "Super Mario" theme song and Brazilian funk mashed together for about four minutes.

Every track is seamless; every breakdown exactly timed; every vocal delivery charismatic enough to cut through whatever distortion or grittiness MSTRKRFT may treat it with. As a result, the best songs on "Fist of God" are the title track and "Word Up," featuring Ghostface Killah. With "Fist of God," the phrase "back there" is repeated over and over again, chopped up and layered over itself with such precision that it somehow doesn't become brain-numbing after four minutes. "Word Up" uses a similar structure, sampling Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It" and including women's moans to craft the album's skeeziest, most-guilty-pleasure-ish track.

So after "Fist of God," what are you left with? Nearly 40 minutes of blissfully synthesized self-indulgence — it's sweaty and it's filthy, and though MSTRKRFT's sex-drenched tracks may not be useful for anything besides grungy house parties and underground clubs, that's definitely not a bad thing.

» Sonar, 407 E. Saratoga St., Baltimore; Sat., April 4, 8 p.m., $18; 410-783-7888.

Written by Express contributor Roxana Hadadi