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| Popmatters |
 You can justifiably call them unserious, kitschy, and too reverent of their mutual inspirations, but one thing is clear in regards to the combined efforts of Messieurs Dave 1 and P-Thugg: irony is not the driving force in Chromeo’s music. I admit, I was initially wary of the group’s artistic intentions when its second album, Fancy Footwork (2007), became a college radio sensation out of fears that the Canadian retro-electro-funk duo was appropriating a genre of music I hold dear in my soul (uptempo ‘80s R&B) in an arch, ironic hipster manner instead of out of genuine affection. Ah, but that’s all in the past, as Dave 1 and P-Thugg have repeatedly asserted their sincere adoration of their source material in interviews, while infectious tunes like “Bonafied Lovin’” and “Needy Girl” have proven after repeated listens to be slamming jams in their own right. Now comes along Chromeo’s long-gestating third album, Business Casual, another ace assemblage of time-displaced R&B that recalls the best aspects of the days when jheri curls ruled the world. Chromeo still won’t win any points for originally or distinctiveness; like its predecessors, Business Casual is thoroughly disinterested in inundating its listeners with anything not already a club hit between 1981 and 1986. As usual, Chromeo’s music is overstuffed with endless glistening keyboard riffs, sputtering synthesized basslines, robotic beats that still manage to groove naturally, and backing vocals delivered liberally via talk box. Given how deft it is in replicating the sound and spirit of its retro fascinations (it may be paint-by-numbers, but hell if isn’t pulled off exquisitely), Chromeo’s only real crime is that its approach is so authentically rooted (the duo frequently uses the same instrument equipment models utilized in hits from nearly 30 years ago) and all-encompassing, the band becomes pretty faceless if you drop its music in the middle of an “old school R&B” radio playlist. The upshot of trawling through the past for reference points is the ability to fashion an aesthetic from the highlights. For the majority of its runtime, Business Casual booms with the allure of a greatest hits collection, and actually stands as a more consistent work than the full-length efforts of many of Chromeo’s influences. Those who downloaded the stellar lead single “Night by Night” (which kicks off with a strident, anthemic intro that sounds for all the world like Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”) as a giveaway months ago will be pleased to discover that new cuts like “Hot Mess” and “Don’t Turn the Lights On” have just as much slick bounce. Do note that the record is not populated exclusively by pulsating synths: Dave 1’s guitar work remains the duo’s secret weapon, and listening to him rip up a storm on the solo to “Night by Night” is a keen reminder of the days when the R&B radiowaves were filled by people in bands....full text |
| Avclub |
| When Chromeo burst into the disco ball-refracted limelight with 2007’s Fancy Footwork, the duo’s eventual remembrance as a late-aughts novelty—the uncouth cousins of Justice and LCD Soundsystem—seemed a foregone conclusion. Simply aping the ’80s can only get a band so far. But like Hot Chip before them, Montreal’s Dave 1 (vocals, guitar) and P-Thugg (beats, keytar) have set out to prove that they’re better musicians than they are ironic, party hat-wearing hipsters. After all, who would argue that Hall And Oates—which, electro aside, is Chromeo’s most audible influence—were faking it? “Matured” would almost certainly be the wrong word to describe Chromeo’s sound on Business Casual. The record opens with a powerful three-part salvo crafted for maximum dance-floor penetration. “Hot Mess” is a swaggerful blast of robot funk, “I’m Not Contagious” features Vocodered requests to “let the rhythm take your body,” and “Night By Night” sounds like the Knight Rider theme mashed up with “Eye Of The Tiger.” But as the album progresses, an unexpected soulfulness emerges: “Don’t Turn The Lights On” is wistful under all that choppy synthesizer bombast; “Don’t Walk Away” sports actual strings; And “J’ai Claqué La Porte” is bright and minimal, an analog synth-meets-acoustic guitar number sung in French. Even as the lyrics are almost uniformly about the myriad pitfalls and glories associated with bedding down the opposite sex, it’s apparent that Chromeo means it, and that means a lot....full text |
| Thecouchsessions |
| The tandem of P-Thugg and Dave 1, the Montreal, Quebec natives known as Chromeo began their pop rise taking the simplest of elements and mashing them together for underground domination and mainstream success. The quirky voice box aided funk and synth stylings of acts like Zapp and The Gap Band alongside electro dance production formula is not shocking or unusual, but in a group as well steeped in the aural traditions of 80s funk and soul as this duo, the songs sound great, so the blatant ripping of a decades old musical concept is easily forgotten. On most recent third release Business Casual the duo strip down the formula somewhat, and in attempting to shed the hipster conceptualization from their sound and just become a solid funk pairing succeed. In continuing to solve the nagging issues that halt their development as a truly fully formed act, they have the opportunity to carry the torch carried by the likes of Morris Day and Charlie Wilson well into the 21st century for a brand new faction of sexy, party loving funk devotees....full text |
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