Release Date: September 14, 2010
Genre: Electrofunk
Label: Turbo
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/chromeo

Continuing from my last review (Illumination // Miami Horror), we’ve got some more succulent dance music from Montreal to sate our ever-hungry dance nerves. I spoke last time about how there’s a lack of real dance music available to those who don’t want to dig around in CD stores for months to come, saying that most ‘dance’ music has thrown away a lot of the things that made original dance so great. Things like funk influences, fun simple lyrics, and plenty of EQ’ed up instruments, and most of all, a sort-of fancy free feeling of not caring and just dancing in the moment. Personally, I feel as though these things have been lost in the house/techno craze that has swept clubs across Australia and the rest of the world, which was capitalized on by nearly every electro band under the sun, all switching out funky drum beats for unintelligible fazing beeps and the repetition of lyrics over and over again. If there’s one thing I was happy with on the Miami Horror record, it’s that the band itself didn’t take themselves, or their music, too seriously. They were focused on making a summertime dance album, and they succeeded. And if you want music that’s so un-self aware then you’ve come to the right place.

Friends, this is Chromeo.

Since I’ve been going through something of a stage of dance music, I’ve been re-exploring lots of avenues of dance. A few names that stick out are obviously Miami Horror, Justice, the ever enjoyable Daft Punk, the genius LCD Soundsystem, and now and then the loose track from groups like Wolfgang or Bag Raiders. All of these bands have their own style, a thing that defines them, and Chromeo, for lack of a better word, can be defined by their enjoyable corny-ness and their massive, MASSIVE disco funk influences. In that combination the music is fairly specific and some people might find it outright annoying. This isn’t another Illumination. It’s much slicker and has a definite sexy, ballad-y feel to it.

That said, those who can enjoy the music (which, if you’ve got a history enjoying dance music, you probably will) will find a very rewarding sound within Chromeo’s music. The lyrics are simple, a throwback to classic pop/dance floor feelings of love, lust, and, in the case of “Hot Mess” (“I need somebody”), longing. These aren’t deep lyrics, they will easily resonate, and are nothing to be remembered, but the charisma with which vocalist David Macklovitch delivers them, it’s hard not to enjoy his smooth musings.

Most tracks on the album, including favorites of mine like opener “Hot Mess” and Flash-Dance-esque ballad “Night By Night” are pieces of dance genius, and if you’re going to enjoy anything on this album, it’s going to be those tracks. One thing that impresses me about Business Casual is that Chromeo really keeps all the tracks fresh and memorable, they all have distinct beats, hooks, and that little bit of sexy flare that really adds the need to dance into the mix. These songs will hook you in and not let you go, before you know it, you’ll be loving them.

The first half of the album is a standard fare of funky dance beats with what now seems to be trademark smooth, lusty lyrics. Tracks like “I’m Not Contagious” and the aforementioned “Night by Night” are absolutely soaked in synth and standard funk beats. Nothing too fancy, but it’s solid enough to get your attention and the infectious lyrics will keep you listening.

Halfway through, Chromeo breaks its mold with a 7-minute long disco piece called “You Make It Rough”. I’ve heard this kind of stuff before from LCD Soundsystem, and one thing to respect about that band is that they can keep your attention during songs that exceed the 8-minute mark, usually due to a great jam the band gets going or James Murphy’s wonderful lyrics which to this day remain my favorite lyrics of all time. But with Chromeo, I don’t feel as though they have that same power to keep a song running for this amount of time. Their sound is far better suited to this disco/electro sound they’ve found here, and they ought to stick to it. “You Make It Rough” becomes a drawl, weighed down by sparse synth and some pretty lame vocals, so Chromeo should stay away and do what they’re best at.

The second half of the album really takes a more moody turn. In tracks like “Don’t Walk Away” there’s a nice bass line playing along with some soothing, swelling strings, and David sings with the same classy style about a relationship at a crossroads, and making a decision about walking away. It’s a very nice track, and differentiates itself quite nicely from the more lusty opening tracks. Chromeo mixes things up next with the song “J’ai Claque La Porte”, an acoustic song sung entirely in French. Strings make another resurgence here, and like with “Don’t Walk Away” they compliment the song very well, but they become a bit predictable after a while, staying a little bit more like an accessory to the music than an actual piece of Chromeo’s overall sound.

The two closing tracks, “The Right Type” and “Grow Up” leave a little bit to be desired. “The Right Type” is probably about as corny as the album gets, and here David experiments with a bit of guitar soloing that I’m not sure if I like. Much like with the strings, it’s more of an accessory to the sound, only adding to the corny-ness. “Grow Up” comes back a little bit to the fun feeling of the opening tracks, but its overall unoriginality as a song is an irritation, and to be honest, when I started hearing fingers clicking and overly reverbed drums, I got sick of the song. Chromeo goes a little bit too far on these tracks, but the rest of the album makes this little hiccup forgivable.

Business Casual has a few flaws, and some of its attributes might turn of potential listeners, but if you can see past its overall corny-ness and if you’re looking for some sexy, slick, funky, dance songs, you’re definitely in the right place. I can’t stop playing this album, and I highly suggest you pick it up.