Composer: Chromeo
Conductor: Chromeo
Label: Atlantic
Release Date: 2010-09-22
Rated: NONE
Genre: Recording
In respect of our editor’s recent kibosh on printing the word “hipster” in the Current, all I can say is, put on your Sperry Top-Siders, whip out those plastic neon-armed sunglasses, and loosen the collar of your dad’s button-down: Chromeo is throwing another party for you! The keytar-wielding duo, which this summer performed with none other than Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates, continue their perfectly cheesy late-’80s blue-eyed funk, the exact brand Chromeo wants to promote. Like their previous efforts, Business Casual inspires their dancing audience to laugh with them, not at their inspiration’s earnest efforts. Their major label debut kicks off with “Hot Mess,” with Dave 1’s crooning vocals engaging with the disembodied vocals of what I imagine as a Robert Palmer girl. The giggles continue with the steamy “Don’t Turn the Lights On,” sassy “You Make It Rough,” and Solange Knowles’ contribution on “When the Night Falls.” And even though the album closer is entitled “Grow Up,” Business Casual gives no evidence that Chromeo need ever leave their suspended animation in Ferris Bueller-land.
