Chromeo lives in a smooth world where lovers are wooed in falsettos, synths drip sex, and bass lines walk real smooth and slow. "Business Casual," the group's third LP, extends an invitation to Chromeo's sultry world and suggests that listeners dress down.
P−Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) and Dave 1 (David Macklovitch) — keyboardist and guitarist, respectively — make up the electro/disco/throwback duo, specializing in slow jams, hot tracks and smooth ballads. It's a short record, coming in at just under forty minutes, but the album's 10 songs beg for sunglasses to be worn at night.
The songs are too cool to be listened to through headphones in a library. They're too sexy to be heard on a wimpy car stereo. When P−Thugg utters lyrics through his vocoder, it's hard to not start dancing like an awesome robot (programmed to love) and never stop.
It used to be important to keep in mind the fact that Chromeo exists with its tongue planted firmly in its cheek, but with "Business Casual," that distinction isn't really necessary: Everything here feels fully realized. Most of the album's 10 tracks stand on their own without irony.
Electronic music isn't for everyone, but there's a human element to "Business Casual" that many electronic albums lack and could potentially appeal to fans of other genres. It could be the heavy disco influence, or the almost painful yearning for the mid−1980s. Or maybe it's the band's message — the idea that broken hearts can be healed with electronic organ chords and tinkling synthesizers. More likely, it's the combination of the two together, creating an irresistible pastiche of sexy−awesome−cool. This is electronic music made with much assistance from cold, calculating computers, but it also manages to feel fully human.
It's hard to pick out particular tracks from "Business Casual" as standouts; the songs bleed into one another to create a mood, rather than existing as a series of stand−alone tracks. Melodies and bass lines slowly morph, tempos shift and computer−generated sound effects punctuate certain lines throughout the album. Listening to "Business Casual" from start to finish is a painless, exhilarating experience.
These guys aren't lyrical masterminds. "Don't walk away / And leave me to stay / If you don't turn away / We could be lovers," Dave 1 croons on "Don't Walk Away." Similarly, on "Don't Turn the Lights On," he sings, "Don't turn the lights on / ‘Cause tonight I want to see you in the dark."
"J'ai Claqué La Porte," a song sung entirely in French, begs for no translation: It's clearly about love — either trying to obtain some, reclaim some, reaffirm some or steal some. Those themes are the only real possibilities on a Chromeo record.
There really isn't anything deep here, but after all, not everything needs to be heady and academic. Inconsequential electro−funk has something to teach, too. On "The Right Type," Chromeo stresses the importance of waiting for true love, while "Grow Up" is about acting like an adult to fix things; both are important lessons, and both are presented in too−cool packages over music that sounds like it comes directly from a computer from 1992.
Most listeners will never be as smooth as P−Thugg and Dave 1, but that's fine — Misters Gemayel and Macklovitch aren't as smooth as P−Thugg and Dave 1, either. Rather than try to live in Chromeo's world, listeners would be better served by bringing the record into their own worlds.
Though Chromeo hails from a smooth realm, "Business Casual" is a way of life that can be lived anywhere, at anytime. It isn't the catchiest or most timeless record ever produced, but for an impromptu party, a quick day−booster or a soundtrack for the intimate moments, it's more than ideal.
