The European trend of dance music is sending electronic shockwaves across the shores of Lake Mendota. The latest and craziest sound popular among Madison partiers is an adherence to robotic rhythmic ambience and thundering drum kits. The resulting experience is both futuristic and fantastical, but a new sound is emerging that has an appeal to the electronic and pop fans alike.

Last week, The Whip released their first album, X Marks Destination, from the Southern Fried Records label. Madison partygoers and music enthusiasts, get ready for a different sound. Set to the tune of earthlings, The Whip have developed an album that combines band instrumentals, electronic sounds and actual lyrics.

The band hails from Manchester, England, and includes members Danny Saville, Lil Fee, Nathan Sudders and Bruce Carter. What separates their music from the previous hipster trendsetters is the album’s accessibility.

The Whip’s sound has something to offer for everyone and appeals to a wider audience beyond the pencil jean-clad hipster. The album provides a good balance of dance and personal-pleasure music, which is spread out over 10 songs, each four to six minutes in length. Even soccer fans have a niche with the group’s song “Muzzle #1”, which was featured on this year’s FIFA 09 soundtrack.

The song titles are an immediate indication of the album’s appealing, creative sound. “Divebomb” creates an image of electronic paranoia sweeping humans off the dance floor and into the exploding buildup of electronic synthesizers and alien voiceover’s. When the buildup reaches a crescendo, the release is a cacophony of laser beams bouncing off each other and high-pitched alien noises. Together, this combination makes for a great dance song, haunting listeners with rhythms for terrestrial grooving. “Frustration” is another dance ballad featured on the album. Synthesizers create an upbeat sound, reminding electronic fans of the energetic ’80s.

Personal listening audiences will be delighted with the album’s commitment to producing poppy band music. “Trash” expresses pop minimalism featuring a simplistic chorus of five words: “I want to be trash.” Also, Lil Fee’s percussion contributes to the minimal sound through her predictable and repetitive rhythms. The song is more about establishing the band’s sound than disguising music in alien monotones.

One problem was the album’s scent of smelly hipster irony. The song “Trash” features lyrics that are needlessly ambiguous. The chorus — “I want to be trash” — has no explanation for someone wanting to be dirty. Also, Bruce Carter’s voice sounds confusing at times. In the song “Sister Siam,” Carter sings in both English and weird cyborg vernacular. This makes his lyrics difficult to understand and quite puzzling.

Overall, X Marks Destination offers a wide range in sound, combining the commercial pop-band tunes and electronic dance ballads. There are refreshing moments of guitar and lyrics as well. Madison partygoers tired of the typical futuristic sound of popular electronic groups like Daft Punk will enjoy the band’s concept of incorporating real instruments into their ensemble. Hopefully, their music is a message that electronic music can be made accessible to the masses, providing chill vibes as well as danceable tracks. Though they are not the saviors of American pop music, their sound is an attempt to reach niche music markets outside the realm of hipsterdom.