Hercules and Love Affair "Blue Songs"

Hercules and The Love Affair in 2011 is a whole different story.  Instead of the hero being a muscle-bound hero in Greek Mythology with the strength of…is it ten men? This is about of a producer with the power to create stirring disco music that can take you to different places throughout the record. The affair is with a lady named Blue; who lives in a house deeper into the ground than most. This album is not perfect, but which one is? The first song is easy to view with “Painted Eyes” because it relies on some traditional elements found in disco, but still sounds modern? If I had a sandstorm in “My House,” even if it was a pretty tame one, my mom would flip. There is a lot of repetition, that’s to be expected, but it is the engaging vocals that keep you coming back for more. “Answers Come in Dreams,” and some sweet, funky dreams they are; brought on by some weird science and maybe the Eurythmics. “Leonora” must be Blue’s real name, and if there were a more convincing argument to encourage her to “come out and play” I would like to know what it is; the ending sounds like what scraping nails on a chalkboard would compare to in the future, but is no less enticing. “Boy Blue” is accompanied with an acoustic riff and has a more picturesque and sparse arrangement, devoid of that clutter known to be found in music such as this. It is easily one of the best and distinctive on the record, but I doubt butler would say “I’m graceful for the words you chose.” It seemed more authentic, and the emotion seemed as if it could have been a tender-hearted devotional a love-lorn sap would play on his guitar for the first time; without the cheese. The title track has that clarinet, and the percussion which tinkles like someone throwing pebbles in that pond I had been transported to; this song sound better to be played there than in a temple. I can swear that I hear some frogs, and even imagine some well-trained amphibians playing those instruments on a “Blue Song.” The next song they began “Falling” back in their old routine, but that is not to say that it was bad though. “I Can’t Wait” until the song is over! Kele Okereke decided to “Step Up” to record vocals for this song, beside the contributions of Kim Ann Foxman, Aerea Negrot and Shaun Wright; “There is pain/In being real/It's not about/How great it feels.” This “Visitor” seems to have traveled from a different planet, while on a colourbox, to pump up the volume and make you dance in what may appear as a less abrasive version of the 1985 hit. What about the next track with its atmospheric, reverberated, vocal-focused tendencies? “It’s Alright.” “Chanel 2” has sounds to thrill, like zombies dance to choreography; Its varying tempos, ever present horn, samba breakdown, and feedback induced ending make yourself less like a stationary canary. The finale is one of those songs about make-up sex, not too explicit, but what am I supposed to think when we are asked “can I make it better with the lights turned off?”  My Favorites: My House, Answers Come In Dreams, Boy Blue, Blue Songs, Visitor, and Chanel 2.