Black Kids, courtesy Dean Chalkley

The return of Lackthereof, the hooky synth grooves of Black Kids and the uber-cool king of mod-soul, Paul Weller, add unexpected sounds to the summer air on WTMD’s New Music Sampler.

Unlike the sheen of blue-eyed soul on many of Paul Weller’s solo releases or his well-tailored work with The Style Council, 22 Dreams sounds like a wall of sound that still needs to be primed. Or maybe it’s a disjointed dream.

And that’s the sonically delicious question, as a dizzying array of psychedelic folk-pop and jazz surrounds one of the most technically proficient and suave soul-rock voices around. When Paul Weller fronted The Jam in the late ’70s and early ’80s, the band’s supersonic tempo couldn’t offset punk rock’s pissed reaction to its fashionable mod-revivalist clothes. I’ve gotta wonder what the reaction will be to this record, as it jumps from crunchy guitar riffs and cymbal crashes on “All I Want to Do (Is Be With You)” to the “I Am the Walrus”-meets-Zeppelin collaboration with Noel Gallagher, “Echoes Round the Sun,” to the edgy tango on “One Bright Star.” The horns, strings and bells on the glorious “Empty Ring” dare to drown Weller’s life-loving croon. Thankfully, you’ll still hear every glorious word.

“The new year is the old year again. First things first that’s off my chest, you’re a slob and I’m a mess” — sensible words that start the title track to Your Anchor by Lackthereof, Danny Seim’s solo prequel to the Portland, Ore.-based phenomenon Menomena. And “mess” could describe the lollygagging bass, palpitating percussion, out-of-tune guitar note bends and drunken voice tracking that sounds like the musical equivalent of barnacles Seim attaches to your inner ear.

Your Anchor makes for perfect headphone discovery moments. But for a song you can share with your friends in the car, crank up the bouncy “Choir Practice” from Lackthereof.

OK, if you’re in my demographic and can’t get enough of “I Love the ’80s,” you’ll appreciate Jacksonville, Fla.-based Black Kids. And Millennials will too, so let’s break down the recipe for Partie Traumatic to bridge the generational gap: Throw in a pinch of Duran Duran, Depeche Mode synths and the male-female shout trades of the B-52’s; add a dash of Jack White scream and stir in the dance-happy irony of LCD Soundsystem and MGMT. Sound tasty?

If you close your eyes on “I’m Making Eyes at You,” it feels as if the Black Kids are taking you back to any given scene in “The Breakfast Club.” Is Partie Traumatic just nostalgia wrapped in fresh packaging for those unfamiliar to the ear-tickling music from the “decade of greed?” Maybe. Maybe not. All you need to know of Black Kids is you will be singing, counting and chanting along to “I’m Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You.” In fact, I dare you not to!

The New Music Sampler airs at 6 and 8 a.m. Tuesday on 89.7 WTMD, listener-supported radio from Towson University.

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