Here is a question for you waveriders. Who likes a pleasant surprise? I know I do!
Any kind of nice surprise will due, but I especially enjoy when a
surprise comes in musical form. Who
would have thought that someone who enjoys writing about what they consider to
be good tunes would find pleasure in an unexpected musical discovery? Crazy, right? Well hard as that may be to believe I need you
to accept it as truth because it's time to tell you about Chromeo, a group that falls squarely into the aforementioned
pleasant surprise category.
Recently a speaker manufacturer named Sonos provided me with
a copy of White Women, Chromeo's most recent album. Acting as a Sonos representative inside a
large department store, I played WW
along with seven other albums by mainstream artists in an effort to entice
shoppers into buying their speakers. Now,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sonos for introducing me to Chromeo. If it hadn't been for that job I am certain
that I would never have listened to this group.
Although I try to keep an open mind about any music that
crosses my path, old prejudices die hard.
When I see an approved music list that saddles me with the latest album
from Coldplay along with Rascal Flatts' greatest hits, my
knee-jerk reaction is to dismiss everything else on that list as music not
meant for my enjoyment. I understand why
people like these bands and I am not telling you that either group is
terrible. Listening to their albums did
not send me into a homicidal rage, nor did they plunge me into suicidal despair.
They're just not my cup of tea. Chromeo
isn't tea either. They're a top
shelf liquor.
If you have a fondness for 1980's electro-funk then this
album is going to blow your mind! The
songs are well constructed, hook-laden, and douse the listener with buckets of
energy and infectious groove. Every
track, from album opener "Jealous (I Ain't With It)" to the finale
"Fall Back 2U" is a party starter.
Different tempos equal different types of parties but hey, variety is
the spice of life. Special mention must
go to the song "Frequent Flyer".
It is absurdly fantastic! Why do
I love this song so much? Perhaps it's
my affinity for the Beverly Hills Cop movies.
Listen to the first five seconds of "Frequent..." and that
last statement will make perfect sense, I swear. Bottom line?
WW is hands down the most
lighthearted fun I've had listening to an album in a good long while.
Let's see waveriders.
What else should I mention? I can
tell you that each day I sold those speakers I purposely engineered the
playlist so that Chromeo was the
last thing I played. There were two main
reasons behind this decision. First, the
music is spectacular. Second, and more
important in the context of people watching, this album has an interesting
effect on women within hearing distance.
Regardless of age, ethnicity, or social station the songs on this album
cause women to break out in dance (or movement closely related to dance). It was amazing! Guys, I am telling you right now. You need to add WW to your toolkit. Just
promise me that you will only use this album's power for good. Shake on it?
Good men.
- Penfold
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