Brooklyn-slash-Chicago duo Pretty Good Dance Moves have been making some pretty good waves around here thanks to some respectable press and a unique approach to indie-leaning electronic music. PGDM is comprised of no-use-for-last-name boys Jimmy, who spent time in Chicago proto-hippie group The Musical Outfits before relocating east to Brooklyn last year, and Chicagoan Aaron of prog shoegaze explorers Oucho Sparks.

Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times has called their recent self-titled EP “an entrancing mix of organic and electronic sounds using vintage analog synthesizers as well as vibraphone, violin and guitar,” which is an accurate assessment without peeling back too many layers. He’s absolutely right to say that these are a couple of accomplished musicians with a deep cognizance of the intricacies involved with recording and an appreciation for Daft Punk-like interplay between the real and the mechanically orchestrated. Guest vocalist Genevieve Schatz of Chicago pop group Company of Thieves adds her sultry, emotive voice to tracks like “P.G.D.M” and “Demons Dancing,” lending perspective and believability to the young-love-gone-wrong theme that the EP is desperately trying to explain.

You know what? It does a pretty good job. Sure, there are some holes - the ’songs for the broken hearted’ bit feels a little stale towards the end, and I kept hoping for the kind of emotional probing that the complex arrangements suggest is within these two somewhere - but Pretty Good Dance Moves have set themselves up for some serious expectations when it comes time to release a proper full length.

In the meantime, this duo and their crew are making some pretty sweet videos. The folks at Famecast have noticed, and the PGDM boys are up for “Best Electronic Music Video .” Voting ends today, so make sure to cast one for these hometown kids.

MP3: Pretty Good Dance Moves - Demons Dancing

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