Somewhere in the middle of "Dazibao," the third track on AV Okubo's debut album, The Greed of Man / 大时代 (Maybe Mars), as frontman Lu Yan begins to read from the gospel of AV 大久保, it becomes apparent that these Wuhan-based electro/dance punks are really a quartet of perverted robots, and 大时代 is the perfect soundtrack for their wanton, post-apocalyptic existence.

Clocking in just a shade under 33 minutes and produced my Martin Atkins (PIL, Snapline), The Greed of Man is a collection of 8 tight and concise hits (there's a dance remix tacked on to the end as well), that blend AVO's quirky mix of razor sharp guitars, groovy bass lines, metronomic drum hits, and eerie keyboards lines.

Tracks like "AV Terminator" and "Old Game" best exemplify AVO's infectious sonic terrain, bassist Zuo Yi's simple-yet-bouncy grooves taking the lead and guitarist Tan Chao's mix of silky-clean and choppy-distorted tones, occasionally blended with bits of fuzz and delay, providing an undeniably-dancey delivery, while "Breakwave," shows AV Okubo at their most raucous and controlled moments in the span of three minutes and six seconds.

While the instrumental production on the The Greed of Man is slick and polished, the vocals occasionally feel out of place in the mix, most notably on the first verse of "Love Song," where Lu Yan's falsetto sounds a bit un-natural, and the gang vocals on “ShaoLin KungFu is Good!” But for any awkwardness in these sparing moments, AVO make up for it all during the opening vocal chants on “I Want the Smurfs,” which no doubt give the “ooka shaka” intro from Blue Suede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” a run for “world’s greatest.”

The Greed of Man / 大时代 is yet another solid release from the Maybe Mars label. Given the anticipation of the release, possibly the most eagerly awaited album since Carsick Cars’ sophomore effort, TGoM doesn’t quite improve on AVO’s live sound, but it does cement them as one of China’s premier bands.

To see and hear AV Okubo at their best, or to purchase a copy of The Greed of Man, make sure to check out Independent China in Stereo this Saturday, February 27th, at MAO Livehouse.