Chromeo Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Chromeo may be campy, but they have a completely sincere love for '80s synth funk, so it only seems natural that the duo would be invited to compile a mix for !K7's excellent DJ-Kicks mixtape series. The selections are a little smoother and spacier than typical club fare, but the music is the type that you would expect Dave One and Pee Thug to use to set the mood, piled with slick, twinkling arpeggios, slappy basslines, and bumping drum machine beats. It's an obscure batch of material pulled mostly from thrift store crates, as evident by a disclaimer in the liner notes that states, "Due to the rare nature of some of the repertoire featured on this release, we were unsuccessful in trying to locate the licensing source for some of the repertoire." Quite a repertoire it is. French-Canadian disco cuts (Pierre Perpall's "Virens Danser," France Joli's "Gonna Get Over You," Diane Tell's "Dans Tes Yeux," and the brilliantly robotic "Larmes de Metal" by Soupir) are wedged back to back with electronic R&B and adult contemporary artists who are more widely known, but still rarely found on dance mixes (such as Rick James protégé Donna Allen or the Alan Parsons Project). Like most entries in the DJ-Kicks run, the transitions are fluid and it's a steady, thoroughly enjoyable groove from start to finish. Of course, as entertaining as the experience of perusing Chromeo's crates can be, it's the moment when they take the mike and perform a talk box version of the Eagles' soft rock staple "I Can't Tell You Why" that really takes the cake. ~ Jason Lymangrover, All Music Guide
'Fancy Footwork'
Release Date 1/1/2007
Tracks 11
Label Universal Australia
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Back with a slicker set of moves and immaculately groomed hooks, on Fancy Footwork Chromeo are in even more control of their sound than they were on She's in Control. The duo's debut was undeniably fun, but it was such a slave to the rhythm that, at times, it was numbing; on this album, Chromeo take their electro textures and funky beats in a very pop direction, topping them with memorable melodies and witty lyrics. From the tongue-in-cheek drama of "Intro" -- which conjures visions of Chromeo ascending the stage from a cloud of dry ice -- Fancy Footwork builds on everything that made previous singles like "Needy Girl" good dirty fun. "Tenderoni" is a great example of the album's tighter, glossier sound and swivel-hipped rhythms, while "Fancy Footwork" itself boasts growling, squealing, and purring Moogs and a percussion breakdown made for busting a move. And, by trimming the fat off their tracks, Chromeo have made more room for knowing, entendre-laden fun. "Momma's Boy," with its instantly lovable electric piano riff and lyrics about finding your sweetie eerily similar to your folks, is a funny, catchy, twisted update on the Hall & Oates-style pop that the band loves so much. Skit-like humor seeps into "Call Me Up," which pauses while a girl looks around for Chromeo's phone number, and "My Girl is Calling Me (A Liar)," which ends with a brief conversation between Dave One and a talkboxing Pee Thug. Elsewhere, Dave and Pee show their sensitive side: "Bonafied Lovin" shows them taking more time to court a conquest, and the "Needy Girl" sequel "Opening Up" finds them trying monogamy -- and liking it. Even though Fancy Footwork's grooves aren't quite as deep as those on She's in Control, Chromeo's transformation into polished Lotharios with pop skills to match more than makes up for it. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
'She's in Control'
Release Date 1/1/2004
Tracks 11
Label Universal Australia
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The beats buzz and the snarky sensuality tickles, even if Pee Thug and Dave swear they don't want it to. Chromeo's She's in Control is dirty late-night fun simply because it has fun. It begins abruptly with the distorted synth pop update "Me & My Man." "This is the new sound" (it's not), "We came to get down" (they did), "Our name is Chromeo" (it is), "And we are in control" (that's up to you) -- it's only the first few measures of the album, and the duo has already established its tongue-in-your-cheek take on merging both the questionable and the cool from genres past into its own peach fuzz-and-ascot come-on. Serious? Farce? Who cares? Like Fannypack, Chromeo runs its musical resale shop out of a stall located behind the velvet rope. (Check DFA remixes and American distribution through Vice Records as proof.) Thankfully, Pee and Dave back up their pedigree with a clutch of great tracks. The detached chill of "Needy Girl" riffs on Yaz as it sketches the minutia of a casual sex relationship, while the cheeky "Woman Friend" features vintage vocal processing and an insistent cowbell disco bump. References to new romantic, new jack swing, and the new power generation continue flirting with one another more or less successfully over the duration of She's in Control, kept at the party by Pee's genuine flair for beat and genre recombination and Dave's handful of enjoyable, if not particularly genuine, vocal personas. Its singles are naturally the best part, but stay tuned for the mid-album instrumental "Since You Were Gone," which reimagines "Easy Lover" by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins as keyboard-heavy karaoke for Cylons. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
