Here Come the Aliens takes its title from a possible close encounter Kim Wilde had in her garden in 2009, but the campy cover art -- designed by her niece Scarlet -- suggest that the singer doesn't take herself too seriously, at least as far as extra-terrestrials go. Music is a different matter. Working once again with her brother Ricky -- he produced the whole thing and co-wrote the songs -- Wilde is cool and confident, creating a nice hybrid of arena rock and Euro-pop filtered through just a slight prism of New Wave nostalgia. She provides enough callbacks to her pulsating neon salad days to pull in punters, but she and her brother fight against retro signifiers, choosing to operate thoroughly in the present. Some of her lyrics may be a bit stridently modern -- the titles of "Kandy Krush" and "Cyber Nation War" say it all -- but Wilde kicks up some very appealing glam ("A Different Story") and heartfelt bubblegum ("Pop Don't Stop") that makes this record a welcome surprise: It not only holds true to Wilde's roots, it deepens them. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
