Labors of Love

Disco is dead, you say? Be prepared to lose that argument to Andrew Butler, the mastermind behind Manhattan dance collective Hercules & Love Affair. Indeed, disco’s inferno rages bigger and brighter than ever throughout all 10 songs on their self-titled debut, full of a confidence and passion that haven’t been heard from the genre in decades.The key to the album’s success is its complete lack of irony. Too many post-post-dance acts in the ‘00s approach the music with a knowing smirk, paying shallow homage. No smirks are found here, though the celebratory funk of “Hercules Theme” and dub-tastic swirl of “Raise Me Up” certainly invite their share of smiles. Butler, with able assistance from DFA producer Tim Goldsworthy, wears his love for music on his sleeve, a sincerity that suits the material well.

ame Not all credit can go to Butler, though. While he pours his heart into the beats, a talented team of vocalists flesh out the lyrics. Kim Ann Foxman’s sweet delivery works equal wonders on the rubbery “Athene” and blissed-out “Iris” while Nomi drips seductive menace all over house jam “You Belong.” Top honors, however, go to one Antony Hegarty (of The Johnsons fame). For evidence of this look to signature single “Blind.” None of its elements are particularly new—the galloping beat, outbursts of horn, and tumbling synth notes—but when combined with Hegarty’s winning warble, the end result is oddly, thrillingly alien.

ame The album seems slightly top-heavy, almost as if the party tires out before the listener. Still, the later tracks are never less than utterly engaging, and a true inferno continues to smolder long after its initial outbreak. Anyone going into this fire doubting its beauty or intensity should only have one thing to say afterwards: Burn, baby, burn.