The Norway-based electro-pop outfit Casiokids have been generating a fair amount of buzz in North America this year, stealing the country’s heart with its spectacle of a live show (imagine shadow puppets, animal costumes and video projections). But just because we Americans have recently discovered the fun, childish nature of the Norwegian quartet, doesn’t mean that the outfit is new to the scene.

In fact, since its inception back in 2005, the band signed with Universal Records in Norway and Polyvinyl in North America, not to mention labels in Japan and Australia, and Moshi Moshi Records for the rest of the world. After Casiokids became international, legendary Norwegian poppers a-ha granted the foursome, as well as four other native artists, a prize of one million kroner for having the most export potential in 2010.

With this money, and pressure to create something great, the four-piece recorded Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen (The Revelation over the Mountain), its second North America release. With a comfortable recording timeframe, the band was able to experiment with recording techniques and yearned to write more cohesive songs. This urge to explore gives the album a strange dichotomy. It’s at the same time well structured and scattered. The production is fantastic, but it sounds as though the electro-poppers have not quite found their niche.

The record begins with its title track, a whimsical instrumental introduction that features woodwinds and bird songs. This fairytale-like tune seamlessly transitions into the album’s first single, “Det Haster,” which begins with the faint sound of bird chirps, and then blasts into a buoyant synth-based dance track led by Ketil Kinden Endresen’s wispy, falsetto vocals. From there, the LP changes direction from guitar-driven pop songs (Dresinen) to Disco (Golden Years) to Afro-beat (Olympiske Leker) to 80s pop (Elefantenes Hemmelige Gravplass) and ends with a relaxing, beautiful, Hot Chip-tinged ballad (Aldri Ska Ma Ha Det Goy).

Individually, these tracks sound good, but collectively, the album is a bit exhausting. It is as if the band felt like it needed to create the perfect record, but instead overwhelmed itself by meshing too many influences. This does not make Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen a bad LP by any means—it is energetic and dynamic—but the next time around, Casiokids needs to take a step back and distinguish what it wants to sound like, rather than what it thinks it should sound like.

For more on Casiokids, go here and here.