There’s no doubt listeners are in for something special when the
debut album by this New York City-based dance-music project —
masterminded by DJ-cum-producer Andrew Butler — opens with the
rich alto of singer Antony Hegarty, of Antony and the Johnsons
fame.
On “Time Will,” Antony’s cabaret-meets-nightclubbing style sets an
appropriate tone for the album, which adroitly straddles the line
between disco and chamber pop. This recalls the daring dance music that
came out of New York in the late 1970s, especially that of Chic, and in
the early 1980s, most notably the early avant-disco recordings by
Material. Singer Nomi handles the lead vocals (with Antony on backup)
on the intoxicating sex-as-music “You Belong,” while Kim Ann Foxman
steps up to sing the dark, lush “Athene,” which does a nice job of
splitting the difference between Soft Cell and Matthew Herbert.
Elsewhere, “Hercules Theme” explodes as a full strings-and-horns
dance-floor shaker, while the skittering, low-key “Easy” sounds like a
choice Shriekback outtake. The electro-house groove asserts itself
fully with the single “Blind,” which features Antony on vocals, along
with hypnotic synth-pop blips, and wicked trumpet playing by Steve
Bernstein.
Although Hercules and Love Affair — in the running for
my album of the year — includes a number of references to Greek
and Roman mythology, “Blind” doesn’t immediately appear to be about
Oedipus putting his eyes out. Nevertheless, it’s the track that
discerning music buffs will most often replay. (Mute)
