If Hall and Oates' near masterpiece, Along the Red Ledge, resembled a manneristic mural of modern pop-music history saluting George Gershwin, Phil Spector and the Beatles, X-Static sets forth the duo's ideal of rock dance music with the same lofty airs. X-Static is metallic, discofied and jazzy. It's not music for clumping around in a loft (like Ian Dury, say), but for scanning the street from a high-rise with binoculars.

Daryl Hall's "Running from Paradise" (written with Sarah Allen of "Sarah Smiles" fame) and "The Woman Comes and Goes" are arch, catchy songs about the games played by frigid swingers–doing it under a mirrored ceiling or by appointment once a week. In "Who Said the World Was Fair," Hall's erotic ennui becomes blasé cynicism: "Who said the world was fair/Or that we should care."

Who indeed? Though these sentiments are scarcely original, Hall and Oates' high-tech approach lends them a superficial novelty. "Wait for Me," the album's prettiest cut, boasts a melody syncopated against what sounds like the leisurely clopping of horses. Throughout, John Oates' comparatively earthier material balances Hall's icy chic. "Portable Radio," Oates' montage of hooks celebrating New York City's sidewalk blare, is X-Static's most accessible track. Hall and Oates may not have much passion left for people, but at least they haven't lost their passion for pop. (RS 309)

STEPHEN HOLDEN