Kreidler was originally considered a side project of To Rococo Rot bassist Stefan Schneider, but he's nowhere to be found on the band's self-titled album. Perhaps his absence explains why the group sounds more focused and less noodly this time around. Though Kreidler have sometimes seemed in competition with their sister band for the title of "Germany's Tortoise," this lean edition seems more concerned with piecing together pop songs. And it's a welcome development.

Eleven tracks here breeze by in a mere 43 minutes, and two of them are even proper songs with vocals. "Mnemorex" features Scottish eccentric Momus doing his thing, contributing a warped, folky melody in the Robyn Hitchcock tradition that sounds just right atop the bubbly electronics. Leo Garcia sings "Estatico" in Spanish and it's even better, a perfect slice of space-age lounge pop, like Stereolab tanning themselves in San Sebastian.

The rest of the record is equally driven by pop, and the instrumentals nestle cozily next to the vocal cuts. Kreidler's main strength here is simplicity. Though they have the tools to create layered tracks, they opt for a minimal approach, leaving plenty of breathing room for the simple melodies. Each track is comprised of similar spare elements: a loop or two, a gurgling synthesizer, laidback electronic drums, and guitar and bass accents. But no two are alike, and each has its own memorable hook.

Some of the best bits come from the clever samples. The perfectly titled "Bewitched" works magic with a hazy string sample from some '70s mellow rock compilation. "Sans Soleil" could be from the score of a spaghetti western shot in the ditch next to the Autobahn. Meanwhile, "Lanzelot" loops an alto saxophone riff and vocal fragments to define a genre known as "Digital Bossa Nova." The design is excellent; everything about the music is very precisely balanced and carefully planned.

In some respects, the subtlety of this enterprise keeps it from approaching greatness. These tracks aren't meant to blow you away. The tempos are mid, the fi is hi, and the rock-- what little there is of it-- is steady. Occasionally, Kreidler lean too heavily on a single strong loop to get by, and the tracks are hypnotic as opposed to stimulating. But you don't listen to bands like this to pump yourself up for a raging night on the town. Chill for now and maybe later, they'll get their chance.

-Mark Richard-San