Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 05/27/2008
Chicago dance-pop duo
Walter Meego have a bright and shiny sound that places them firmly on the "daft" end of the daft punk spectrum. Their debut album,
Voyager, is 40 minutes of fat synths, shimmering vocoders, jumpy beats, and glittering hooks that will have you in a post-disco narcotic haze of happiness by the end. There are elements of modern disco purveyors present, mostly
Daft Punk but also
Ratatat, but their main inspiration is a glorious mash-up of the dancefloor friendly side of synth pop and urban funk as practiced by
the Time on their first album or
Ready for the World. Tracks like
"More Than I Can Say," with its chunky synth bass, or the rock hard
"Letting Go" sound like they were concocted by an
Electrifying Mojo-programmed computer and dropped into a perfect robo-funk play list. Even if you aren't a student of classic dance music forms, there is still plenty to love on
Voyager, mainly for the incessant catchiness of the songs, and the wonderfully majestic instrumental hooks they seem to be able to crank out with complete ease. The duo (
Justin Sconza and
Colin Yarck) has a knack for melody and keeps the songs simple and easy on the brain. There are no lessons to be learned on
Voyager, no message to digest. It's a shiny, pretty disco ball of emptiness perfect for washing away the cares of the day and tarting them up in feathers and lamé for a night on the town. Only a couple of songs dig below the smooth surfaces, like the bitter
"Keyhole" or the weary
"Lost," but even these more emotional tracks are kitted out in sonic surfaces so clean you could eat off of them.
Voyager may be nothing more than a candy treat, but it's one you'll want to go back to again and again.
~Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
;)
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