Record of the Week
March 7th, 2008
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair
I started to take notice of Hercules & Love Affair over the past year. Hopefully nothing was released prior to 2007 because I would hate to feel like I missed out on anything before then. The most notable items to date have been the DFA 12″ with Roar, the remix of Goldfrapp’s A & E and of course all the different incarnations of Blind. All of these tunes made it evident that the forthcoming album would be worthwhile to say the least.
On the full length simply titled Hercules And Love Affair, Andrew Butler has worked with a variety of musicians and vocalists to craft the album’s 10 cuts. The ensemble was cast with great effect. The percussion is full and rich with a somewhat vintage feel to it. It pounds heartily over a subtle, but ethereal backdrop of washed synths and effortless melodies. The lyrical duties are covered by a few people, including Antony Hegarty (of Antony And The Johnsons) but no matter who is on singing duty the vocals sit rather well on all the tunes. Throughout the record the pace veers well between casual listening and the obviously danceable. On some of the pop-ier, upbeat numbers, I swear it’s as if the track was keeping it’s past in uk hardcore hushed. It must be something in the melody.
My favorite tune is Athene. It’s immediately infectious. Uses a palette of funky instruments without being cheesy and Kim Ann Foxman’s vocals are a great match for the music. It’s modern disco done well.
Written by Celery Moon |
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