It's funny how casually some dudes still dismiss the house-rock hybrids filed under stupid but catchy genre tags "nu rave" and "blog house". Especially since acclaimed outfits like Soulwax, the DFA, Teifschwarz, and Vitalic-- not to mention the entire electroclash scene-- have already for years propagated some of the same ideas now championed by Daft Punk-loving dance labels Kitsuné and Ed Banger. This shit isn't supposed to be novel, just really fucking good.
A quick recap: Justice show no mercy; Simian Mobile Disco aim to please; and on the summer's third high-profile indie-dance debut, Hamburg duo Digitalism turn out to be the artists probably most dedicated of all to the idea of merging rock and electronic dance music. Unfortunately, such purity of vision works better in concept than on the group's first full-length, Idealism.
Digitalism's first actual release, a re-edit of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army", helped them become the inaugural Kitsuné signees. A series of 12" singles followed, and the A-sides recur here in slightly edited form. Choked with heavy compression, these tracks show Digitalism making their Korg synthesizers and 900-MHz PC act like rock instruments, though without Justice's violent distortion. "Zdarlight" spreads repetitive filter-disco synths over nearly six minutes, climaxing after the beat drops out nearly halfway through (and the Air-y bass drops in). "Idealistic" puts lo-fi, Rapture-esque vocals-- "I had the idea that you were near"-- atop similar electro-house pulses and guitar-like squiggles. "Jupiter Room", issued on Kitsuné Maison 3 in a "Martian Assault" version, sends French touch to Europa. Or is it Io, the one with the volcanoes?
Idealism's house-rock cross-fertilization goes both ways. Overcoming their rudimentary instrumental skills via sampler, Digitalism give newest single (and album highlight) "Pogo" a New Order-worthy guitar riff, live drums, and whirring pop-ambient loops recalling Swedish savant the Field. "Digitalism in Cairo" dismembers the Cure's "Fire in Cairo" for a dizzying, bass-heavy almost-banger. But other rock-leaning tracks such as "I Want I Want" or "Anything New" wind up sounding like Brooklyn dance-punk fallout given a haphazard Klaxons remix. Even unabashed softies the Postal Service would blush at the heart-on-sleeve lap-pop of "Apollo-Gize".
Despite strong if not earth-shattering singles, Idealism falters when expanding its house-rock, rock-house devotion to 15-track album. There's a tenuous story involving trips to Cairo and outer space, but that can't justify weak interludes like "Departure from Cairo" or "Jupiter Approach". The robot romance of "Moonlight" and "Echoes" falls flat beside the better tracks here-- or elsewhere in their burgeoning genre, whatever you want to call it. "I have the biggest party ever at home," Digitalism brag over malevolent synths on "Home Zone". They're totally joking, but that doesn't make it true.
