Chromeo
Business Casual - Atlantic
FILTER Grade: 84%

Of all the current ’80s revivalist acts, Chromeo is probably the most unapologetic, which in many ways makes it the most loveable. 2007’s breakthrough Fancy Footwork served as the hip music-loving world’s official introduction to the tongue-in-cheek-electro funk-duo composed of one part Arab (P-Thugg) and one part Jew (Dave 1). Chromeo’s latest, Business Casual, finds the synth-wizards fully immersed in their musical time machine and the results are better than one would expect given a gimmick which should have worn thin after album one. Even if the influences are so obvious they aren’t worth mentioning, the songwriting is sturdier here: Kick-off single, “Don’t Turn the Lights On,” is the duo’s most sophisticated to date, and instead of being a worn-out joke, Business Casual is the sound of Chromeo having wholly realized its vision. The only question is where does the duo go from here without becoming a tired party trick? Chromeo just might want to get out while the getting’s still good.