1. Toop Toop
2. Rock Number One
3. This Song
4. 15 Again
5. All I Want
6. Eye Water feat Pharrell Williams
7. See Me Now
8. Mile From Here
9. Jackrock
10. Cactus
11. La Notte
12. Cria Cuervos
Its refreshing to be able to report on a major
label keeping faith with one of its electronic acts in
the manner Virgin have with Cassius. Three years ago
the pair released their second album Au Reve, a
sprawling yet oddly magnificent opus that managed to
cover uplifting house with the help of Jocelyn
Brown or rap with the help of Ghostface
Killah . Having taken two years to record it
underperformed on release, prompting the boys to put
strict rules in place this time around.
Zdar and Boom-bass stuck rigidly to
eight hours per song, with six hours allowed for
post-production and mixing. Thus the record was
completed in three weeks, and the ploy seems to have
worked, the end product a fresh and invigorating
record that lives up to its title.
You could hardly wish for a better start than the
single Toop Toop, its garage-punk overtones and
off-beat guitar teaming up with Zdars full-throated
vocals. It makes for an uplifting opener.
And yet the albums best track could hardly be more
different. Pharrell Williams is partly
responsible, having written the words to go with music
largely lifted from Au Reves opening instrumental
track, delivering the vocal himself. When the opening
verse complains how no one uses energy savers, car
emissions kill ozone layers it would be easy to
pigeon hole the song as a self-righteous environmental
crusade. Nothing could be further from the truth, with
the central refrain look at your life now hitting
home in a deeply affecting manner.
Despite Eye Water making maximum impact in its
central position the rest of the record is hardly
outclassed. Later tracks Cactus and La Notte serve
reminders of the boys credentials in deep, funky
house music. Vocalist Gladys reappears to dress up
Rock Number One, betraying 80s influences to start
with but letting its hair down further in. She then
spars with boyfriend Zdar in the acid house references
of 15 Again. The strong feeling of community within
French dance music continues as Sebastien
Tellier and Etienne de Crecy guest, the
latter taking 303 duties on a couple of tracks.
Where this album really triumphs is in its
structure. Electro remains as a loose coefficient of
the work but the boys show themselves perfectly
capable of integrating rock and house along the way.
It makes for a wonderfully life affirming record,
capable of humour, joy and reflection. Every home
should have one.
')
out this week:
