Rating: NN
German electro rock duo Digitalism commit two unforgivable dance music sins on their second full-length album, the kind that make us question what we saw in them in the first place. The first (and biggest) is their failed attempts at pop-crossover. As often happens when producer/DJs go this route, they lack both the songwriting chops and a decent vocalist to pull it off. Even bringing in the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas to co-write a song doesn’t accomplish anything.
The other huge mistake is that it all sounds dated. Sure, they’ve been touring constantly since their last record, but you’d think they’d have some idea that dance floor trends have evolved in the last five years. Nu-metal electro? Really? The only tracks that don’t make us cringe are the back-to-basics club bangers likely added to pad out the album, and even those don’t contain anything to get excited about. Someone needs to explain to Digitalism that it’s way too soon for mid-00s retro.
Top track: Antibiotics
