MNEK – Small Talk EP (2015)

MNEK – Small Talk EP

R&B’s gone through a lot in the past few years. I mean, could you ever have imagined someone like Drake becoming a major worldwide success ten years ago? In the post 808s & Heartbreak world, there’s been a glut of depressingly MOR “Alternative R&B” singers dominating critic’s year-end lists and tastemakers websites with aplomb, and hipsters around the world could not be happier. Thankfully, today’s artist MNEK seems to be cut from a slightly different cloth than your average Pitchfork darling who messed around with AutoTune and was hailed a genius. MNEK built his name as a songwriter for British pop artists, while also doing making his name as a producer on the side. Collaborations with artists such as Gorgon City, Rudimental and Madonna have seen his profile increase quite significantly in recent years. In January of 2014, Gorgon City’s “Ready For Your Love” featuring MNEK on vocals, went to #4 and #2 respectively on the UK singles and dance charts. Similarly, MNEK co-wrote the song “Gecko (Overdrive)” with producer Oliver Heldens, which ended up debuting at #1 on both charts in June of the same year. For someone with that kind of chart pedigree, it’s astounding that MNEK hasn’t quite yet attained the solo success that songwriters of his calibre should be able to gain.

The “(2015)” in the title of this review is a misnomer, if anything, since the majority of these tracks have been releases. “Every Little Word”, “Wrote A Song About You” and “The Rhythm” all made their BBC Radio 1 months ago, debuting in the playlist with ease. Similarly, “In Your Clouds” was uploaded to MNEK’s Soundcloud page in September of 2014. They’re all fantastic tracks that make a fantastic introduction to MNEK’s abstract and futuristic sound, but if you’ve heard them before then you might be left wanting something more. “Every Little Word” with it’s stomping R&B rhythm and buzzing synths still remains a force to be reckoned with over a year later. “The Rhythm”, with its deep house bassline and danceable chorus is a hell of a catchy tune and is easily the standout amongst the remaining tracks of the EP.

They’re not all hits however, I’m afraid. “More Than A Miracle” is quite a disappointing number, that sees MNEK going for more of a commercial hip-hop vibe than the other, more bass-inspired tunes. It does its job as a club banger, but it just doesn’t seem suited to him. It’s the kind of glossy, sleek track that’d suit someone like Chris Brown or Taio Cruz, but next to stuff like “Every Little Word” or “The Rhythm” it just sounds like flat-out pandering to American audiences unused the more house-oriented tracks at work here. It’s hardly awful, but there’s definitely far better tracks on offer here.

After listening to Small Talk, you get the feeling MNEK knows exactly what he’s doing in the grand scheme of things. It takes guts to mix straight up pop tracks with the more leftfield, bass-inspired tracks and surprisingly, he does it fairly well. After all, in 2015 it’s not impossible for songwriters to become breakout pop successes themselves without releasing a bit of less-accessible work beforehand (just look at Frank Ocean or Charli XCX). If Small Talk is any indication, MNEK has the chops to go for international stardom if he damn well pleases. If he plays his cards right, MNEK could basically become the male equivalent Charli XCX, someone who racks up chart hits while delivering their own weirded out renditions of R&B and pop tropes. If there’s one guy whose pretty much destined to blow up this year, I’m fairly certain it’s MNEK. Take note, guys…

7.5/10

Shamir – Northtown EP (2014)

Shamir – Northtown EP

Shamir Bailey, better known simply as Shamir, has a knack for making music. The Las Vegas-based singer made a surprising impact with his Northtown EP last year. With a new album, Ratchet set for release this May under famed British label XL Recordings, Shamir seems set to make a big breakthrough in terms of pop stardom. The young singer has been making some big waves lately, due to his impressive countertenor voice and the club smash “On The Regular” gaining significant traction on the club charts. Shamir’s debut from 2014, Northtown sheds a little context and gives an insight into the young singer. With a sound informed as much by R&B and hip-hop as it is disco and Prince, Shamir has his sights set on blazing his trail in the musical landscape.

“If It Wasn’t True” sets off quite nicely. A funky house number that slinks its way off of the dancefloor into your head with ease. Subtle bass notes mix in with oldschool drum machines to craft a woozy, yet alluring number that see’s Shamir showcasing his signature vocals. Shamir sounds wise beyond his years, as he sings ” Northtown has a great retro vibe about it, not retro in the revivalism sense, but more that it sounds like it crawled out of the ground from another time. The disco vibes that ring out via “If It Wasn’t True”, the acid house-channeling of “Sometimes A Man” and the R&B slow-jam that is “I’ll Never Be Able To Love” don’t necessarily sound en vogue, in terms of the current musical climate. But Shamir hasn’t got time for that, he seems content to do his own thing on Northtown, rather than blindly follow trends like some fame-obsessed madman.

“Sometimes A Man” mixes a low budget disco beat with the buzzing pulse of a 303 bass synthesizer, to create an electrifyingly potent dancefloor smash. Shamir’s distinctive countertenor voice is the standout element with his music and sounds highly reminiscent of disco divas from years past such as the late Sylvester, or even a less-annoying Sam Smith. His voice is arguably the one factor that strings Northtown together, since the rest of the tracks here have little to nothing in common aside from Shamir’s sensual vocals working their magic over them. “I’ll Never Be Able To Love” sounds like The Weeknd doing “Purple Rain”, with Shamir’s high-pitched vocals mixing in well with the songs woozy and tripped out beat.

The one major downside to the EP would be the lackluster balladry of “Lived And Died Alone”, which closes out the EP. As a lo-fi acoustic song placed smack bang at the end, It sounds like an unfinished bedroom demo. The song’s country twang and acoustic strumming isn’t a good mix, and doesn’t suit Shamir’s voice at all. It just sounds Shamir got drunk and listened to way too much Daniel Johnston and Hank Williams records, then thought it’d be a good idea to record the aftermath of the night. It’s not a bad song by any means necessary, but when you stack it up against the first four tracks, the dissonance is staggering.

For all the comparisons to fellow R&B singers and disco divas, Shamir really has crafted a sound of his own on Northtown. His distinctive voice is unmatched, and blows most cut-and-paste ‘Alternative R&B’ singers out of the water. Plus Shamir’s ability work the dancefloor as well as the bedroom should be enough to place him up in the big leagues once the Top 40 comes knocking at his door. The twenty year old singer pretty much knows just how to mix introspection, danceable grooves and beautiful singing into pop music with ease, as well as making it sound just so god damn appealing in his execution. Ratchet quite simply cannot come fast enough.

7/10

Lxury – Into The Everywhere EP (2015)

Lxury – Into The Everywhere EP

Lxury (real name: Andy Smith) first made his name with the 2013 single “J.A.W.S”, co-produced by the Lawrence brothers of Disclosure fame. “J.A.W.S” showcased Lxury’s love of synth-oriented pop melodies, while also illustrating a keen understanding of  soulful dancefloor goodness. Lxury’s first proper EP, 2014’s Playground was a sparkling, colourful blend of tropical house that hearkened back to the 90’s rave scene while sounding surprisingly modern in its execution. Lxury’s sound echoed modern producers such as Lone and Rustie, while simultaneously sounding as forward thinking and breathtaking in its own right. His latest EP, Into The Everywhere was recently released through Greco-Roman records, and sees the young producer continue to expand his sound in a more atmospheric direction

“Pick You Up” is the perfect opening track, a hard hitting slice of jackin’ house that kicks the EP off in fine style. Lxury’s habit for mixing cut up vocals, rolling percussion and emotional synth pads ensure that “Pick You Up” sets the mood for the EP. “Equals” takes a slightly different turn, starting out with a more wonky and woozy beat before slowly transitioning into a shuffling rhythm with some garage drums thrown in for good measure. It resembles a more modern take on Todd Edwards garage house days of yore, updated and recreated for 2015. The funny part is, it’s still probably one of the weakest tracks on the Into The Everywhere.

“Square 1” features guest vocals from the moody brit-R&B singer Deptford Goth, whose low-key voice fits the track like a glove. Lxury blends Rustie-esque synths inbetween bouncy beats and some excellent vocal work from Deptford Goth. “Square 1” is exactly what Flume & Chet Faker’s Lockjaw should have sounded like, a perfect blend of trippy house with downtempo R&B. “World 2” continues Lxury’s fascination with video-game synths and stabs of rave piano permeating the tracks, while an undercurrent of watery bass pulses around. Midway through the track, Lxury cranks up the tempo hard, going from a slow jam to almost drum-and-bass like intensity within a minute. The EP concludes with the joyously smooth “Everywhere”, where heavenly synth pads and thumping bass collide in an implosion of dancefloor euphoria. It’s one of those tracks that sounds really flowery and pretentious when you describe it, but the second you hear it, it just hooks you in and refuses to let go. It’s the EP’s definite standout, and quite easily one of the best dance tracks of the year so far.

The one factor that unites all of the tracks on Into The Everywhere would be their propensity for experimenting with the formula. Despite the 27 minute runtime, Into The Everywhere still feels like a calculate and well thought-out effort worthy of an album itself. I’ve certainly heard shorter ones in my life. Unlike the majority of sunny, Instagram-friendly house tunes that litter the Beatport charts these days, Lxury’s tunes are the kind of dark and dinghy tunes built for basement clubs or dive bars. You probably won’t see Lxury headlining the main stage at Stereosonic or Future anytime soon, but if he keeps delivering EP’s of this caliber, you might just be seeing the West Londoner blowing up at a club near you sometime.

8.5/10

Years & Years – Y&Y EP (2015)

Years & Years – Y&Y EP

Years & Years shot to prominence when vocalist Olly Alexander provided vocals for The Magician’s 2014 house hit “Sunlight”, and the band has wasted no time in capitalising on this success. Following 2014’s single “Desire” cracking the UK Top 40. Coming fresh off of winning the prestigious BBC Sound Of 2015 award, it seems as if this is the time for Years & Years to blow up internationally. Their latest release, the Y&Y EP, is a vibrant and colourful release that blends elements of R&B, pop and house into a cohesive and hugely enjoyable slice.

With a sound that echoes 90’s R&B as much as it does buzzy electropop, Years & Years sound have built up quite the reputation over the past year. Y&Y collects two of their most recent singles, while also adding on two extra tracks as well. You wouldn’t know it from the way Y&Y flows though, it sounds fairly cohesive for a cheap record label cash-in.Opening single “Desire” is an exuberant track, pairing a thumping house beat with soaring synthesizers . It features the kind of hazy Balearic percussion reminiscent of Duke Dumont’s chart-topper from last year “I Got U”, and the way the trio’s “Ohhhhh-oh-oh” harmonising in the background just enhances the song’s tropical feeling. Follow-up single “King” continues in the same vein as “Desire”, with warm bass stabs countering Olly Alexander’s high-pitched croon. One listen of Alexander’s vocals, and it comes as no surprise that Years & Years have made such a splash in the UK, he’s got that kind of high pitched soft English accent, guaranteed to make girls swoon within seconds. At least 75% on Y&Y would make perfect radio fodder, slotting in neatly beside the Sam Smith’s and the One Direction’s of the world.

The album’s closer “Memo” is the perfect slow-jam. The track fizzles, snaps and crackles with glee, while  It brings to mind SBTRKT’s more subdued work, while also inducing flashbacks to Kele’s Trick from last year. Y&Y covers all the bases, you’ve got the upbeat euphoria of “Desire” and “King”, while the leftfield R&B oddity of “Take Shelter” being something of a detour for the band. It’s the one weak moment on the EP, seeming like a slice of pedestrian (and I hate to use this term) alternative R&B. Thankfully the other three tracks sparkle and shine with the kind of smart, glossy pop sheen, guaranteed to entice the kids and please the critics at the same time.

If the quality of the Y&Y EP is any indicator, it seems the Beeb were bang on the money when it came to Years & Years being a quality force in today’s music industry. They have a keen ear for mixing gorgeous nighttime pop with the subtle grooves of house music, and good god if it isn’t some of the most enjoyably captivating music I’ve heard in the past few months. If they can keep this quality up for a 40 minute album, you could easily see them joining the ranks of acts such as Disclosure or Rudimental. Or at the very least, guarantee them some sweet slots in various festivals around the world. Here’s to a full-length in the future.

8/10

Singles: Watermät – Bullit

Watermät – Bullit

At this time of writing, Summer has finally made its way to the southern hemisphere. As such, it’s time for all of the tracks that slayed dancefloors across Europe and the United States to finally trickle down to Australian sets. Watermät’s “Bullit” is a prime example of one of these, as the French Producer’s bubbling deep house tune has conquered the Beatport charts earlier this year, and has become something of a mainstay. The track’s fuzzy horn stabs, mixed a high pitched whistle and topped off with some chunky kick drums make for a killer track. Watermät displays his proficiency when it comes to producing pulsing deep house anthems. The extended version is a must-listen, it’s a huge slow-burner of a dancefloor track that takes a while. And despite being an instrumental, the track’s even managed to make into the Top 100 of charts all across Europe, the U.S. and make it to Number 60 in Australia, while just cracking the Top 10 of the dance charts. Here’s hoping we get some more killer tracks from Watermät at some point in the future, if he can keep up the momentum from “Bullit”, his future should be just as bright as the synths that appear in the song’s crescendo.

7.5/10

Singles: Hercules & Love Affair – Do You Feel The Same?

Hercules & Love Affair – Do You Feel The Same?

Since 2007, Andy Butler’s group Hercules & Love Affair have been displaying their love of House, Pop and everything inbetween in fine style. This recent single “Do You Feel The Same?” off their 2014 album “The Feast Of The Broken Heart” is an absolute banger of a single, and sure to be a hit on dancefloors the world over. The group pairs an extremely acidic 303 bassline with a rather compact drum machine, with some tasteful piano chords sprinkled over the top. The production is a nod to both the acid house heyday of the late 80’s, but the deep bass also speaks to the deep house revival trend of the current era, as well. The song’s lyrics, sung by the band’s close-associate Gustaph, speak of a love that went awry, as he cries out “And if I burn down the city, would you put out the flame? Or if it all ends in ashes, would you still say my name?” After nearly a decade of tearing up DJ decks worldwide, it’s safe to say Hercules & Love Affair aren’t going away anytime soon, if “Do You Feel The Same?” has anything to say about it.

8/10

Huxley – Blurred (2014)

Huxley – Blurred

UK producer Huxley (real name: Michael Dodman) is starting to build a name for himself in the world of dance music. Huxley’s spent the last few years kicking around the UK, releasing various singles and EP’s on several prominent labels such as Aus Music, Defected and Toolroom. He built his name as a garage producer, but his debut album Blurred see’s him brewing up minimal, deep house, techno and moody electro into a nice concotion that will have you moving your feet in no time. Rather than jumping on the current commercialised deep house trend, exemplified by artists like Disclosure or Gorgon City, Huxley chooses to keep his feet squarely on the dancefloor for this LP. You’ll find little in the way of crossover tracks on here, just some smooth beats and some thumping 4×4 beats that should get you grooving.

“MXR” starts out innocuously enough as a slow-paced house track, before Huxley ramps up the BPM and it quickly morphs into a sleek jungle track. “Broken Dreams” pairs a larger-than-life bassline, with some tighter-than-tight snare clicks, and a piano riff for good measure. “Give 2 U” features some woozy pitch-shifted vocals, layered over a rolling drum break, while vocalist FEMME muses on love and obsession. It’s a banger of a single, and exemplifies how Huxley can take multiple genres and put his own spin on them “Calling” is Huxley’s take on deep house, but rather than aim for a Top 40 single, Huxley keeps the track squarely focused on the groove, as the bouncy basslines intertwine with the spaced-out synthesizers. There’s no pop hooks to be found anywhere, it’s as good a dance track as you’ll hear anywhere this year. Thudding bass stabs envelope most of the tracks on the album, while Huxley’s off-kilter rhythms are sprinkled all around. Huxley’s passion for killer low-end basslines recalls early dubstep producers such as EL-B or Benga, who did their best job at making garage tracks sound slower and much more menacing than usual. Huxley’s sort of following on from their template on here, while mixing in some influences of his own.

But rather than coming across as your typical post-dubstep-future-garage-everything-and-the-kitchen-sink wankery, Blurred feels quite focused in its approach. Most dance albums get bogged down in featured artist after featured artist, and generally just feel like a grabbag of singles mixed with some filler. On Blurred the majority of the tracks feel like they were meant to be there. It’s also spread out quite evenly, with several potential singles mixed in throughout the album, instead of being loaded up at the front like your average house album. At just under an hour, Blurred isn’t exactly a workout of a dance album, but it gets the job done. Huxley has delivered a solid slab of an album, that works just as well in the confines of a club, as it does in the confines of your headphones. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take him years to put out another album, right?

7.5/10

Calvin Harris – Motion (2014)

Calvin Harris – Motion (2014)

When people look back on this decade and try and identify a specific “sound” associated with it, I guarantee you it’s going to be EDM. When dancefloors across Europe became obsessed with build-ups, drops, and obnoxious big room synths back in 2010, it was only a matter of time before this sound made its way to America and infested the rest of the world. And sure enough; riding the crest of the EDM wave were a number of Ableton wielding, hands-in-the-air perpetrating DJ’s that took electronic music from the dark clubs of Europe and into the festivals of middle America.

Calvin Harris had been kicking around the dance world for a while, prior to EDM’s explosion into the popular consciousness. However, it wasn’t until the new decade that he decided it’d be a good idea to cut his hair, throw out the LCD Soundsystem records for some David Guetta and reinvent his entire image. Come 2012: Calvin Harris drops “18 Months”, produces a couple of chart toppers with Rihanna, Ellie Goulding and Kelis, and all-of-a-sudden the likely lad from Scotland finds himself as one of the hottest producers in the world. You can’t deny that Calvin Harris’s meteoric rise to success had been a long time in the making, and he certainly deserved it more than say, someone like Martin Garrix or Avicii. On his latest album “Motion”, he seems rather keen to repeat the success he had with “18 Months”, continuing with his trademark Electropop sound.

“Slow Acid” is an absolute monster of a track, featuring a killer 303 bassline coupled with a very distorted and menacing drumbeat. A James Bond-esque guitar appears partway through the track, only adding to the tension it brings. It sounds a bit like what would happen if Massive Attack and deadmau5 ever hooked up for a jam session, to be honest. “Outside”, featuring Harris’s on-again-off-again muse Ellie Goulding is one of the major highlights. Ellie delivers one hell of a vocal performance, while Harris’s synthesised strings and big room drums absolutely explode on the production front. American pop trio HAIM even show up three quarters of the way into the album on “Pray to God”, which despite the cheesy title is quite a fine little ballad. It starts with a rather soft, piano-led buildup, before erupting into a heavenly chorus, as the sisters harmonise like their hearts depended on it.

There are quite a few duds on here, though. Big Sean phones it in on “Open Wide”, delivering gangsta rap clichés over the most generic drop you’ll hear this side of the Ultra Music Festival lineup. John Newman’s nasally vocals do absolutely nothing to elevate “Blame” from anything other than a mediocre big room track. And “Summer”, featuring vocals from Calvin himself, deserves some sort of award for ‘Most Annoying Chart Topper Of 2014’. It’s easily the most shameless song on the album, and probably soundtracked more shitty lad’s nights this past year than I can care to imagine. I distinctly remember hearing it about 6 times on a Friday night out in the Brisbane CBD, which probably quite a bit about my taste in nightclubs, sadly.

Harris has crafted a surprisingly above-average pop album with “Motion.” By the time I finish writing this article, at least half the songs off this album should be playing at any one time on radio stations worldwide. Don’t go into “Motion” expecting a coherent album, it’s basically a glorified singles compilation with some mid-album filler thrown in at the last minute. However, it’s not entirely unenjoyable either. I expected to hate this out of principle, but when taken in small chunks it’s really not that bad. Big room EDM isn’t a genre that should be taken seriously as an art form, and it’s not trying to be either. Calvin Harris knows his target audience, and he damn well knows how to play to his strengths in crafting music for them. “Motion” is the audio equivalent of a Cadbury’s chocolate bar. If you ingest it in small-doses, it feels like the greatest thing ever and makes you crave more of it. However, if you just down it all in one go, you end up with a giant stomach cramp and you spend the whole night on the toilet wondering why the hell you bothered with it in the first place.

6/10

Gorgon City – Sirens (2014)

Gorgon City – Sirens (2014)

In the past year, the world world of house music has seen a ton of producers storming the charts with overtly pop-oriented tunes. Chalk it up to Disclosure re-writing the book on how to have a pop hit, or just producers just being sick of dubstep and wanting to go back to the 90’s, who knows? Nevertheless, pop-flavoured deep house tunes that wouldn’t sound out of place at an early 90’s Amnesia party seem to be all the rage lately. Leading the pack are North London production duo Gorgon City, who pack plenty of ivory chords over four-to-the-floor beats (along with a shitton of guest vocalists) throughout their debut full length “Sirens.”

The first thing you notice about Gorgon City is just how radio-friendly they sound. All of the tracks on “Sirens” have an extremely sleek and glossy production work about them, and absolutely none of the songs make it up to the 5 minute mark. There are no instrumental tracks here either, every single song has a guest vocalist roped in to help work with them. On some of the songs, they work brilliantly (Katy B gives in a fantastic performance on “Lover Like You” and R&B crooner MNEK does a bang-up job on “Ready For Your Love), but other times they just fall extremely flat (Drake sound-a-like Erik Hassle makes me want to groan on “FTPA”, and Laura Walsh’s vocals on “Here For You” just make me want to fall asleep.) I’m guessing Sam Smith couldn’t fit Gorgon City into his busy schedule? Nothing on “Sirens” sounds especially dancefloor friendly, all of the songs sound more geared towards radio airplay than DJ mixes. I’m aware that 12-inch mixes on albums usually make them drag like crazy, but the short-runtimes are incredibly frustrating. You need to have a good dancefloor bomb on your album at some point, and on “Sirens” it just never comes. There’s about maybe 3 or 4 tracks on here that stick out in my mind as being memorable (the MNEK and Katy B ones, plus Maverick Saber’s “Coming Home” and the Zak Abel-led “Unmissable.) I feel that “Sirens” is only as good as the sum of its parts, which is to say without the long string of collaborators, the album wouldn’t be worth jack-shit in the long run.

All the tracks begin to blend together towards the end of the album, not helped by the fact that Gorgon City recycle the same formula for every song (“moody” synth-buildup -> first verse kicks in -> after 30 seconds of verse, kick drums appear -> lather, rinse, repeat.) Gorgon City seem to be doing their best at turning deep house into as formulaic as every other genre under the house umbrella. “Sirens” represents everything that makes homogenisation in dance music a bad thing. It functions well as a party album, sure, but there’s no ‘oomph’ to be found anywhere here. Everything just sort of stays at the same plodding, boring pace. Gorgon City do their best at trying to usurp Disclosure’s crown on the pop-house throne, but they just can’t seem to reach the same heights that the Lawrence brothers can. However I’m sure they’ll still be afforded quite a good home next time your local radio station is in need of “dance” consultant.

5/10

Flight Facilities – Down To Earth (2014)

Flight Facilities – Down To Earth (2014)

Flight Facilities’ Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell are beginning to become some of the top producers in Australia’s dance music scene. After a strong run of singles for the past few years, the group have begun to branch out into the album world with debut “Down To Earth.” The duo first made their name in the late 00’s, producing several high-profile remixes for fellow Australian groups such as Sneaky Sound System and Bag Raiders. They followed these up with a number of singles over the course of the 10’s, with their 2012 single “Clair De Lune” scraping into the Australian Top 40 and even going Gold in the process. With their brand new album “Down To Earth”, the duo attempt to tackle the long player format, and see if their disco-tinged brand of house can last for a full album’s length.

“Down To Earth” is structured like a concept album, opening with an in-flight greeting and the sound of jet engines bookending the album.  Like many dance albums, “Down To Earth” is loaded with guest appearances. Indie songbird Emma Louise gives an illustrious performance on lead single “Two Bodies”, which kicks the album off in fine style.  Reggie Watts lends a hand on “Sunshine” and shows off some impressive vocals, while the duo provide an extremely funky backing beat. The duo’s most famous song, “Clair De Lune” makes an appearance in the middle of the album, bringing it’s dreamy and airy elegance, while singer Christine Hoberg’s breathy vocals work glide above the track. It’s one of those nu-disco workouts that has managed to   The last track of the album is a 73 second long reprise of the band’s debut single “Crave You”, sung by none other than Australia’s favourite singing budgerigar, Kylie Minogue. Kylie’s voice suits the track quite nicely, but it makes you wonder why they didn’t just tack the original “Crave You” onto the album, rather than go to the lengths of roping Miss Minogue in to help push album sales. At times the album can feel a bit airy, almost like vapid chillout music. However, the filler on the album is far and few between, and the standout tracks more than make up for the

“Down To Earth” functions surprisingly well as a cohesive album. While the weather heats up and the temperatures rise into the 30’s in Australia, Flight Facilities deliver one hell of a summer-ready album It’s a very evening-centric album, the kind that evokes watching beautiful sunsets with your friends, while downing a cheap summer lager. Like Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” from last year, “Down To Earth” manages to channel the disco sounds of the 70’s in a refreshing manner. However, “Down To Earth” doesn’t feel like a throwback album at all, Flight Facilities keep the album firmly planted in the modern era, with a fresh forward looking output. The album doesn’t recycle the sounds of yesteryear, as much as it updates them and makes them feel modern, in it’s approach. “Down To Earth” delivers on the promises of Flight Facilities earlier singles, along with providing a solid dance album that should entertain you in the warmer months of the year.

8/10