Maximum Balloon: Maximum Balloon

The differences and similarities are immediately apparent, as rapper Theophilus London kicks the album off with “Groove Me.” The computer bleeps, horn blurts, and chucka-chucka guitars are all there, but rather than coalescing into a thick wall, they’re spread out and treated as percussion, subtly transmogrified into the stuff of a N.E.R.D. song. “Young Love,” featuring Celebration’s Katrina Ford, borrows its glammy swagger from new wave, even as the Afro-funk bubbles up from below. Little Dragon guests on “If You Return,” a track that leans electro without losing any of that Sitek epic-ness. But by and large, the dark has seeped from the songs.

Occasionally, that darkness is missed. Karen O’s turn on “Communion” is uneventful, but in most cases, brightness becomes Sitek. David Byrne soars over the vibrant “Apartment Wrestling,” and Aku (Dragons Of Zynth) gives Adebimpe’s husky coo a run for its money over the fiery disco of “Tiger.” The record’s only real weakness is what should make it work for radio: There’s nothing unexpected. For better or worse, that’s also what separates Maximum Balloon from TVOTR.