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“Don’t give up on me,” sings Bettie Serveert’s Carol van Dyk on the first song of Attagirl, the Holland band’s latest release. The vague lyrics may be about a relationship, but they also apply to Bettie Serveert, which had a few hits on college radio with the 1992 album Palomine then grew fainter with each increasingly disappointing album. With Attagirl, Bettie Serveert mines territory rich with sampled strings, Latin rhythms, drum machines and sound loops while keeping the poppy, upbeat rockers the band is known for. “Dreamaniacs don’t aim to please,” van Dyk croons in that same song, and this philosophy suits the band, which sounds invigorated by the experimentation. But the sexiest, brashest song on Attagirl is Bettie Serveert’s cover of Bright Eyes’ “Lover I Don’t Have to Love,” amping up Conor Oberst’s original. Attagirl takes this band in a new direction; let’s hope fans will follow. Record Hop opens.
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