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Dec 17, 2020 Groove Armada By Lily Moayeri

A 10-year gap between albums, particularly in the dance music realm, is not as much of an anomaly as it used to be. For the decade between their last full-length release Black Light (coupled with its self-remixed companion White Light) and the latest album, Edge of the Horizon, Groove Armada’s Andy Cato and Tom Findlay have kept plenty busy. Besides DJ gigs, they have their own festival (Lovebox), they put their names on multiple compilations, including ones from the high profile Fabriclive and Late Night Tales brands, and they got back on the road with their live band.

It’s this last venture that sparked Edge of the Horizon, which picks up where the ’80s-inspired Black Light left off, as well as delving further back to the ’70s—but not the dance-oriented side of that era. The ninth album from the duo is split between disco house and yacht rock. Empire of the Sun’s Nick Littlemore—who had a strong presence on the last album, resumes his collaboration with the duo with the sparkly opener, “Get Out on the Dancefloor.” The title dictates the song’s mood while Littlemore channels David Byrne’s deadpan delivery. He returns for “Tripwire,” a staccato affair that could just as easily be an Empire B-side. Revered house and garage staple Todd Edwards—whom Daft Punk have tapped more than once—vocalizes “Lover 4 Now,” a lovechild between the ’80s R&B and ’90s soulful house. Paris Brightledge, another house music icon, inspires guitar grinds on “I Can Only Miss You” that would be Prince-like if they weren’t quite so cock rock. In contrast, “Dance Our Hurt Away,” on which Brightledge appears again, is a super-groovy early ’90s house track.

With part-thundering/part-understated drums, tinkling synthesizers and stacked-sounding harmonies, the remainder of Edge of the Horizon is also of B-side caliber—the B-sides of singles from any yacht rock album of the late ’70s. The music the duo was listening to on the tour bus is to be blamed for this direction in sound. If “Holding Strong,” “Talk Talk,” “I Can Only Miss You,” and “Don’t Give Up” are any indication, Groove Armada could easily have made an entire album of just this type of material. It would have been confusing, but they have an authentic, if not-quite-as-catchy-as-it-could-and-should-be feel for it. (www.groovearmada.com)

Author rating: 6/10