It's weird to think of it now, but Chromeo was the gateway drug into probably every artist I listen to now. When Fancy Footwork dropped slightly before high school and Business Casual premiered during, I remember being awed at the fact that two people from Montreal were making some of the most neurotic funk I'd heard since my childhood days of Morris Day and the Time (which is totally normal for a ten year old).
Since those days, I've long moved on from my high school sweethearts, Dave 1 and P-Thugg, but it seems that the world has now caught on to the fantastic disco-funk craze that the two have arguably conjured up single-handedly. As they prepare for their fourth LP drop, they've released "Over Your Shoulder," "Sexy Socialite," and most recently, "Come Alive" with Toro y Moi crooning alongside Dave 1.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/109962663" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="false" /]
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/115343497" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="false" /]
The two recently released the visuals to accompany the work, and it's similar to their past music videos for "When the Night Falls" and "Hot Mess." While their latest set of releases have proven that they've matured in sound and refined their style, their sense of humor has managed to remain relatively the same. I can't find any confirmation that Surface to Air provided the aesthetic visuals, but provided they did so many of their other work, it would certainly make sense here.
To sum up the video, it's basically Dave-1 wearing the sickest red jacket since Michael Jackson and getting stood up (does that actually happen?) by someone, only to realize that he can make mannequins come alive as he waltzes through a store. I won't try to spoil too much more, but make sure to keep an eye out for P-Thugg as the night security guard and Toro y Moi as the night custodian. It's a little silly and (more than) slightly campy, but it proves that Chromeo still know how to keep music fun and light, while still providing complex synth and guitar lines to keep the crowd moving.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BurNCK5Pc8&feature=share[/youtube]
White Women will see the light of day in 2014, although no specific date has been set.
Chromeo
Come Alive (Feat. Toro y Moi)
- Atlantic Records
- January 28, 2014