The accumulated talent of the Davies brothers all but guarantees that any release branded as the Kinks will be worthy of a listen, and 1989’s UK Jive is no exception, with tracks like the hard-driving “Aggravation” and the riff-rocking “Entertainment” highlighting a collection of songs that seethe at the encroachment of technology and the ever more crass iterations of modern media. While the lyrics largely retain the band’s patented blend of cunning vituperation and homeward-looking humanity, the tunes are often regrettably perfunctory, and the production a problematic compromise between trademark Kinks spontaneity and ostensibly modern touches. Despite it all, this is still the Kinks, and well worth a spin or two: There is charm to spare on the title track as well as Dave’s druggy contemplation of existential anxiety “Loony Balloon.”