Album Review: Disclosure - Settle

Disclosure
Settle
Rating: Woof Daddy

UK production duo Disclosure, brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, occupy a strange position in dance music. They aren't a straight up dance act, their strengths definitely lie more in the pop song area, however, they aren't necessarily solidly in the traditional pop song structure world either, letting things go on occasion with straight up house tracks. It's this tension and flirtation between the two areas that makes them so fascinating. Not to mention, they know how to come up with some killer hooks. Before the release of their debut album Settle, Disclosure release a torrent of hot singles, the slamming club track "White Noise" with AlunaGeorge, R&B leaning "Latch" with Sam Smith, and kooky UK garage referencing "You & Me" with Eliza Dolittle. My fear was that the album would be these singles plus a lot of filler, but Settle actually goes beyond that, revealing itself to be a surprisingly cohesive journey from the duo, flowing like a good DJ set, with lots of highs mixed in with different styles.

Of course, most of the highlights come in the form of more traditional song structures. "White Noise" is still as fresh and slamming as it was when it was first released, its liquid bassline and fierce vocal turn from AlunaGeorge catchy as hell.



"You & Me" grabs from the get-go with its two-step beat, frenetic keyboards, and lovely vocals from Eliza Doolittle.



But new vocal collaborations also feature as highlights. Probably the best track they have done yet, "Confess To Me" with the gorgeous voice of Jesse Ware, is a stunning bass heavy track that would be sure to get any dancefloor pumping.



Ed Macfarlane of Friendly Fires adds vocals to the lush mid-tempo track "Defeated No More," R&B/two-step practitioner Jamie Woon provides his velvety voice to the sleek jam "January," while up and coming UK buzz act London Grammar take things out on a heavenly note with the gorgeous album closing track "Help Me Lose My Mind."

The good thing about all these collaborations is that they all work seamlessly, with no one showboating or distracting from Disclosure's basic aesthetic. If the whole album had been all collaborations it might have grown tiresome, however, the duo seem aware of that and mixed in several more dance-oriented tracks. Fresh new single "When A Fire Starts To Burn" brings some tent-revival-esque samples to life with a thumping beat and funky house keyboards,




"F For U" powers forward on a J Dilla sample and infectious garage beat,



and the percolating "Grab Her" slams bouncy basslines around with crisp drum programming.

Settle is a remarkably assured debut from this very young production duo (Guy is the eldest at 21) and foretells major things from them going forward. After the relatively disappointing new record from Daft Punk, Disclosure sets the bar very high for any other dance-oriented act this year. Settle is by far the best dance record of the year to date.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.