X-Press 2
Muzikizum
Skint / Columbia
House duo X-Press 2 have been around for several years now, but this is their first full-length album yet. They’ve released a series of singles and collaborations, though, both under the X-Press 2 guise and as members of various other projects, and they certainly know their way around the house. A bit too much so, perhaps, because too often the music on here is reduced to the kind of trance-y formulaic house that may go down well at Ibiza but are less interesting to sit down and actually listen to.
That having been said, there are some really fine moments on here as well. The hit single “Lazy,” featuring David Byrne in fine form, is a stand-out track, and one of the top dance singles of the year, and the fine “Palenque” is another captivating, dark and chilling moment. Dieter Meier does his regular Yello-vocals on “I Want You Back,” which is alright, while “AC/DC” is the best of the club tracks.
As an album, this is too uneven to be a particularly interesting effort, but X-Press 2 prove that they have the ability to produce some truly great house music when they can be bothered.
Columbia Records: http://www.columbiarecords.com
