Idealism
****
The debut release from this German duo might be the looniest as well as the catchiest electronic dance record since Daft Punk’s Discovery. Such a comparison is inevitable, I suppose, as there’s more than a little DP in Digitalism’s glitzy thump-thump, but Idealism subtly expands on Discovery’s aural canvas, adding heft to the sound, and further rounding out the mechanical edge of the music with a swooning emotionalism. There’s sharp, glitchy synth squelches and hard-pounding beats aplenty here, but they never cancel out the music’s core sweetness. In fact, the more abrasive this music gets, the prettier it gets, a cool trick when you think about it.
“Moonlight,” a gorgeous, robotic power ballad, is the standout. Around a repetitive, indecipherable vocal sample, the arpeggiating keyboards swell into a thick goo of sound, with all sorts of sparkly moondust sprinkled across the track. “Home Zone” is another highlight, a stuttering electro-funk track with an ad nauseam refrain that goes “I have the biggest party ever” or “I have the biggest body ever” (I can’t say for sure ... and it makes no sense to me either way). It’s hooky as hell and for some reason just kind of hilarious. - Scott Woods