Search - Hercules & Love Affair :: Hercules & Love Affair

Dance music with clever twists!

Nse Ette | Lagos, Nigeria | 07/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'd only ever heard of "Hercules & Love Affair" from glowing reviews I saw on loads of websites which piqued my interest. Listening to this album is like stepping back into the seventies; the Disco era in particular. Thumping bass lines, heavy synths, stomping beats, and loads of horns give a contemporary, yet retro feel.



Featuring the haunting mournful vocals of Antony Hegarty (from Antony & The johnsons) on most tracks, the group's eponymous debut features just 10 tracks, but each is outstanding, from more sombre opening cut "Time will", to the horn filled largely instrumental "Hercules' theme" (which reminds me a bit of eighties UK group Imagination).



Other upbeat numbers are the keyboard adorned "Athene", the very disco-ish "Blind", the throbbing horn-filled "This is my love" (with a Jazzy feel and spoken/sung vocals from DJ Andy Butler), the incredibly catchy "Raise me up", and closing cut "True false, fake real" (great percussion and a capella singing). "Iris" and "Easy" take the tempo down, both are subdued atmospheric numbers.



My favourite song is "You belong", which is House/Disco with a razor sharp bubbly synth line. Incredibly catchy and very clubby.



From the glowing reviews I'd read about the album, I half feared it would be one of those arty albums that would be greatly admired but difficult to get into. Happily, its not the case with this clever, superb album which just gets better with each spin. A stellar debut!"

Love affair

J. Urdiales | MEXICO | 03/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just have to say that anything with Antony in it and/or produced by any of the DFA dudes (Murphy-Goldsworthy) has to be good. I have this album and it blew me away, I was expecting some techno-electronic stuff, but oh! the sweetness of the 70's beats, the horns, the vocals (Antony is surreal in Blind), everything just blends in and compliments each other in pure bliss. At times it has the feeling of being an album by The Knife (tracks 1, 6, 7 ), but then it brings in some fantastic disco infused electronica as well (2, 9) and of course the fantastic Blind... I really like the way Antony's voice enhances the beats... this is a true love affair."

Standout tracks are amazing, the rest is decent

resident_out_of_touch | Schenectady, New York United States | 04/27/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Obviously the rage of NYC's dance sector upon its release, this album puts to shame its flavor of the month indie/dance/electro peers. Andy Butler, who as I understand it is the mastermind behind the project, has put together a collection of tracks that out-class the increasingly unimaginative and erroneously titled "electro" dance fad- not just building on retro synths and beats but giving them an extra dose of reality via live horns and other instrumentation. The vocals, provided variously by three singers, give the album a refreshing free-for-all sort of feel. This isn't a record label construction, or a long-struggling band that has just come into their own, rather you get the feeling that these musicians came together in a very informal way over the simple common interest of making dance music. This also gives it an "of the people" aura which I think contributes to the vicariousness of the whole thing.



I'll admit that my favorite songs are the singles- "Hercules Theme", "Blind" and "You Belong" are all where I think the group hits their stride, rocking with stupendous momentum over flawless disco basslines and airtight brass garnishes. About half the album operates at a slower pace, and I find my attention sometimes wanders during songs like "Iris" which lack the vitality of the more anthem-y tunes. I also cannot get into Kim Ann Foxman's singing. She's certainly not a bad singer, but after Antony blazing through something like "Blind" and Nomi Ruiz' performance on "You Belong", as heartbreaking as it is sensual, Kim Ann's low key murmur doesn't quite have the same vitality.



There is a definite energy behind "Blind" especially, one of those rare songs that seems to have taken on a life of its own in the hands of its creators. These are ideal dance tunes, propulsive and catchy and free of self-consciousness or stylistic contrivances. The slow tunes also allow Butler to stretch out into some interesting sound design, even if the songs themselves don't hit as hard. "Easy" forgoes the disco thump for a more leftfield and ambient approach that makes for a satisfying trip hop outing, aided by Antony's reliably engaging croon. This is certainly a divisive album as some people find it either self-indulgent or simply unpleasant to listen to, but I imagine any motivated nightlifer or dance fiend will be thrilled."