Chemical Creations, Hypnosis Alternatives

Former LCD Soundsystem drummer Pat Mahoney and Dennis McNany are the duo behind the electronic brainchild that is Museum of Love.  After releasing singles and tracks here and there, they’ve compiled their work onto a self-titled album – a record that showcases their chemical-creations of songs, all bubbling with production magic.

The album progresses at a listenable pace. Although the first few tracks are rather uneventful, we don’t really get going until the fourth track  on the record – “FATHERS.” The  keyboard arrangement on this track hooks you from the start, followed by those popular high-pitched vocals and a pleasantly simple drum beat that ticks away on the hi-hat. This track speaks for many other songs on the record; they’re indicative of an easy listen – nothing too aggressive, jumpy, or too slow and drowsy. Mahoney and McNany hit a balance that allow listeners to appreciate their production choices.

Another album highlight is the sixth track, “Learned Helplessness In Rats (Disco Drummer).” The first minute and a half is something out of musical heaven: the sounds of waves, angelic voices, an enchanting key loop, synths that part the seas, and bass undertones that push it all forward. The track as a whole is solid, but the intro alone is worth nothing as something very special.  The following track is their most popular song and single, “Monotronic,” can best be described as a 5-minute hypnosis session (the good kind).

Somewhere buried in the multiple layers of “Learned Helplessness In Rats (Disco Drummer)”, we hear Mahoney and McNaney say:  “The world will tell you when you’re doing it well.” They haven’t gotten the full praise and publicity that they deserve, but it will come in time.  So far, it seems like Museum of Love is definitely heading in the right direction.