ALBUM REVIEW: Chromeo – Business Casual

The tandem of P-Thugg and Dave 1, the Montreal, Quebec natives known as Chromeo began their pop rise taking the simplest of elements and mashing them together for underground domination and mainstream success. The quirky voice box aided funk and synth stylings of acts like Zapp and The Gap Band alongside electro dance production formula is not shocking or unusual, but in a group as well steeped in the aural traditions of 80s funk and soul as this duo, the songs sound great, so the blatant ripping of a decades old musical concept is easily forgotten. On most recent third release Business Casual the duo strip down the formula somewhat, and in attempting to shed the hipster conceptualization from their sound and just become a solid funk pairing succeed. In continuing to solve the nagging issues that halt their development as a truly fully formed act, they have the opportunity to carry the torch carried by the likes of Morris Day and Charlie Wilson well into the 21st century for a brand new faction of sexy, party loving funk devotees.

  10-chromeo – grow up by Spa_Water

On track “Grow Up,” Dave-1 literally grows up as a performer and finds his vocal comfort. For years, it has been a struggle for Chromeo to literally find their voice. Vocal altering studio magic is a hallmark of the group making them a pop gimmick more than serious act, but, clearly, the duo wants longevity which is going to require Dave-1 to find a solid vocal range. Throughout Chromeo’s career, Dave’s voice has always been a weakness, likely if for no other reason than likely trying to sound like a Jewish Roger Troutman, or emulate Darryl Hall or John Oates. He’s actually none of the above, and on “Grow Up,” in sounding like yes, Billy Joel, he succeeds. No, I don’t want covers of “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” or “Vienna” with voice box effects, but in his voice being pitched to match that of one of the most honest and soulful singer-songwriters of rock history, that likely wasn’t his aim at the start of his career, but time and chance happens to everyone.

In final, this is a solid album. The pop singles here show the direction the band can comfortably take for a career. Mirror top 80s electro funk tracks that were enormous hits, and infuse them with solid songwriting and perfect mixing (Phoenix’s Philipe Zdar behind the boards has Chromeo’s sound down to a science) to extend their life and take them in a slightly different, yet reverential direction. Chromeo has legs to succeed for many years to come. In slowly putting the pieces together to craft a formula that will succeed for them “night by night” for years to come, their search for longevity is refreshing and their development a continuing story to watch unfold and appreciate.

3.5 OUT OF FIVE STARS

CONCERT REVIEW: Chromeo – 9:30 Club – 7/26/10

Two piece Montreal funk outfit of Dave 1 and P-Thugg, Chromeo, played to a sold out 9:30 Club on Monday night on a bill supported by underground remix kings Holy Ghost! and cheeky hipster production lab pop duo of Sammy Bananas and Maggie Horn, Telephoned on the first stop on tour promoting their new album, Business Casual. The set certainly proved that in the case of Chromeo that there’s a sucker born every minute for a great gimmick, and that at the base of every successful gimmick is tremendous skill.

If a fan of Zapp and Roger, The Time or Klymaxx, Chromeo is right up your alley. How then, does a legion of kids barely alive to appreciate the genius of “Meeting in the Ladies Room,” “777-9311” or “More Bounce to the Ounce” become the legion of fans that support the Roger Troutman Appreciation Revival Hour? Simple. Blogs and remixes. Chromeo’s rise to fame has occurred in literal lock step with the rise of hipsters, underground DJs, blogging and the need and desire to reinterpret sound. MSTRKRFT, Sinden, Laidback Luke, Treasure Fingers and a plethora of top international re-interpreters have re-spun magic from the golden tracks that the Canadian duo have created. In re-imagining funk and disco into dance floor trending electro, the band has superseded their concept as funk revivalists, and are the most mainstream trending of the groups that have most benefited from the hipster generation.

Outside of the popular call of “Chro-me-o. Ooooooooo” at the start of the show, this was not a sold out crowd that cared to passionately sing along to every word of every song. This crowd came to dance, and they did. The sweaty throng had no problem with getting down to 75 minutes of straight up funk, house inspired funk, and electro funk, the three most popular musical variations provided by the duo. When playing the more straight up funk oriented tunes, the band appears to be fully comfortable. Dave 1 is not exactly the world’s best singer, but with the gimmickry of having an entire set of drum loops and backing tracks loaded onto a computer, and P Thugg’s talkbox, there is absolutely more than enough to distract from a voice that is adequate and functional to the purpose of the group. The group’s biggest hits appear to be the band at their laziest, which is not a slight to the band, but instead a nod to their understanding of what exactly drives a pop hot in the current environment. This is a generation driven by quirk, and people since the beginning of time have been undeniably attracted to hooks, so on tracks like “Fancy Footwork,” “Night by Night” and “Needy Girl,” three of the biggest winners of the night, the balance, while uneasy to the classic funk trained ear, works perfectly to appeal to the twin desires of this generation.

The most telling performance of thie night was the duo’s mashup cover of The Eagles’ classic “I Can’t Tell You Why.” Over a sonically lush bed of “I Can’t Tell You Why” blended with Hall and Oates’ “One on One,” and P Thugg cranking out the chorus on the talk box, the song appeased the classic funk and pure soul of the band evident in their bourgeois loverman lyrics, as well as the band’s clear and obvious nod to 21st century technology and social tastes.

Chromeo are a fantastic all around group. Insofar as in recording, their learning curve, as shown by their ability to handle synthesizing two related yet disparate styles to create their exuberant and poppy sound, shows them at a place where working with legends will be where they can advance their career. As far as a live show, the band is ready to take the step of hiring a full orchestra and band for touring, and exploring where they can take their sound on their next level. But for this crowd on this night, they were the most defining band of the audience’s generation.