06.14.07

It’s not for the cock, it’s for the colourful disco

Posted in Albums, G-Town at 7:11 pm by Gavin Williams

Simian Mobile Disco- Attack Decay Sustain Release

Quite clearly there’s a time and a place for different music. For example, you wouldn’t drop Belle and Sebastian at a banging nightclub at 2am and similarly, you wouldn’t want Simian Mobile Disco in your bedroom or on the morning bus. Quite clearly anyone who thinks that hasn’t heard “Attack Decay Sustain Release”.

Simian Mobile Disco are, for want of a better word, a pair London geeks who have moved from doing remixes to creating their own songs and “Attack Decay Sustain Release” is DJ duo’s debut album. The album opens with the brilliant “Sleep Deprivation”. The song builds up as if we’re walking past a dirty club rammed full of steaming bodies as we make our way home, only to decide to step in and join the party. Building up slowly before shedding all teasing pretence and launching into a euphoric anthem, this is a true statement of intent.

It’s unlikely that you’ll find a song as slick, colourful and so goddamn mouth watering as last year’s underground hit, “Hustler” in a long time. Trembling waves of synth, infectious bleeping and smooth beats make up the musical sparring partner for the deliciously silky vocals. This is amazing, heart-rate increasing, stuff. And then you realise that the whole song so far has just been tantalizing foreplay compared to when it really kicks in half way through and the beats get sordidly dirty.

Simian Mobile Disco are very 2007, with the right mix of synths, earth shuddering bass and steady, marching beats. They are, however, not afraid to explore their 80s and 90s tendencies once in a while. “I Got this Down” sounds like the Calvin Harris dive into 80s pop, only with a bigger, badder sound and the ammunition of irresistible grooves to back it up. “I Believe”, meanwhile, almost comes across as an early 90s reggae re-working. It is, though, fantastic.

“Hotdog” is a combination of rubber basslines, sprinkled with electronic keyboards, which build up before dropping into a body jerking, hand flailing finale, while next single “It’s the Beat” is like R2D2 getting pilled up with Lovefoxxx at a rave in a field somewhere. The moon of Endor, perhaps.

With a recent increase in duel headed DJ teams, the question may be poised, is there really any need for Simian Mobile Disco? Creating scolding hot slabs of disco, getting the balance between Daft Punk and Digitalism- (Accessible yet not overly cheesy and with enough intelligence to make the music last a full album) inch perfect, and being able to successfully cross the boundary from clubs to your bedroom. In short, yes we most defiantly do need them. With an album that’s quite simply brilliant colour splashed modern dance music, Simian Mobile Disco have laid down the soundtrack for many, many parties over the summer.

http://www.myspace.com/simianmobiledisco

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