Product Description
The men of Chromeo are about to release 'Business Casual,' which is their third full-length album and a testament to the growth and further sophistication the band has undergone over the many years they've been collaborating. After their sophomore release, 'Fancy Footwork,' pushed them into the stratosphere of party-rocking, club-banging, and heart-thrilling electrofunk, we might consider 'Business Casual' their postgraduate work. Where does a group go after mastering their craft? Do they rest on their laurels? Do they retreat into self-parody? Neighbor, please. Chromeo, in 2010, have pushed forward into yet newer levels of song craft and body moving music that is respectfully indebted to its noble inspirations while still being fully contemporary. Are there lush string arrangements on 'Don't Walk Away?' Do we have Moroder-esque analog synth layers draped all over 'Don't Turn The Lights On?' Is there a fully authentic French ballad (don't forget, Dave and P are of the Québécois persuasion and will never abandon those roots) in 'J'ai Claqué La Porte?' Well yes, actually, to all of the above. But what's this we have here? The flip side of Chromeo, the emotional gangster tracks, are still here on 'Business Casual,' represented by titles such as 'Hot Mess,' 'I'm Not Contagious,' and 'You Make It Rough.' And, newly added to the roster, we have the straight-up pop, vanilla in the best sense (creamy and smooth), of 'The Right Type,' a get-up-and-go tune in the greatest 80s tradition, and the album closer, 'Grow Up,' which almost sounds like golden era Billy Joel backed up by Cameo. How real is that? Lyrically, Dave continues to mine the rich vein of affairs of the heart. Is there really any other topic that Chromeo needs to cover? Arrogant ladies, dancefloor seduction, boudoir skills, love gone wrong, and knights in shining armor... Chromeo does all this and more with their trademark Franco-insouciance-that-borders-on-coolness and their always sexy worldliness (pause). In these uncertain times of financial upheaval and musical mediocrity, Chromeo's 'Business Casual' is a testament to the fact that inspirational funk shall always prevail. Vive le Chromeo!

1. Hot Mess
2. I'm Not Contagious
3. Night By Night
4. Don't Turn The Lights On
5. You Make It Rough
6. When The Night Falls
7. Don't Walk Away
8. J'ai Claque La Porte
9. The Right Type
10. Grow Up

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TL0IT0/?tag=imwan-20

Chromeo Goes 'Soft Rock' on 'Business Casual' Album

by Gary Graff, Detroit | July 23, 2010 11:08 EDT
http://www.billboard.com/news/chromeo-g ... 5860.story



The Montreal duo Chromeo plans to show some creative growth on its upcoming third album, "Business Casual" -- flaunting not only its usual array of 70s and 80s R&B and funk sources but also what the group's Dave 1 calls "soft rock" influences, from Christopher Cross and Kenny Loggins to Toto, among others.

"People think that's cheesy and schmaltzy, but it's all relative," says Dave 1 (real name: David Macklovitch). "When we were first name-dropping Hall & Oates, people would laugh at us. They thought I was joking. Look now, and Hall & Oates is the most trendy band in the world. Five years from now Toto is going to be the most trendy band in the world. Those things go in cycles...We don't care about those trends. We just love the music itself."

And, Dave 1 adds, he and partner P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) are willing to embrace anything that they think will move their own music forward.

"'She's In Control' and 'Fancy Footwork' are great. I love those records," he says. "But that was a long time ago. Now we want to try doing stuff with more interesting chord changes, some different kinds of arrangements and vocal harmonies. We're still learning our way around production, around songwriting. We have to keep it interesting for ourselves."

Dave 1 says the two songs released from "Business Casual" so far -- the "really aggressive" 2009 street track "Night By Night" and the new, "more sophisticated, sexy" "Don't Turn the Lights On" -- are "the two poles" that represent the album's range. The set, which the duo self-produced and recorded in Montreal and Brooklyn, also includes one track, "Don't Walk Away," that incorporates a string section, and a ballad called "J'ai claque la porte" that's sung in French.

"That's my favorite," Dave 1 notes. "It's got an acoustic guitar and stuff, definitely one of the prettiest songs I've ever written. My mom cries every time she hears it. It doesn't really fit the Chromeo style but (P-Thugg) was like, 'We have to put it on the album.'

Dave 1 says "Business Casual" is finished and set for its Sept. 14 release, but the duo is currently putting together an iTunes bonus track as well as a special version of "Hot Mess" that will feature La Roux and be available as a digital add-on.

Chromeo is also on the road through August, including Lollapalooza on Aug. 5 and the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival on Aug. 15. After the album's release, the group will tour the U.K. in November, Australia during December and January, then North America in early 2011 followed by a spring trek through Europe.