Popular opinion of Chromeo is understandably divided. You'll hear every kind of appraisal of their synth-soaked music: "too hipster," "too coked-out," "too ironic," even "too fratty." On the contrary, they're mostly just big nerds, gobbling old-school records with aplomb. Hell, band member and hip-hop devotee Dave 1's day job is in academia, teaching French to Columbia undergrads. The duo, originating from Montreal, obsessively charts a constellation of synthesizer-fueled funk and dance-pop out of the 1980s, with old-school hip-hop serving as a guiding compass. Sure, they aren't especially innovative, and their associations with Vice Records and Brooklyn might falsely indicate that their 80s night hokum is all a big put-on.