Lazer Sword

Memory, the sophomore LP from Lazer Sword, basically sounds like a 180-bpm banger played at about 80-bmp. Released two years after their Justice- and MSTRKFT-indebted self-titled effort, the San Francisco, CA-forged duo have traded dynamics and danceability for far-reaching and foreboding mood music. Certainly pushing for a more classic feel, cloudy knob twisters "Point of Return" and "Better From U" strive to capture that "Plastikman at three a.m." feel, relying on imperfect analog rhythms and tarnished layers. Getting Jimmy Edgar to do that one thing he does well (the ol' funk robot voice) on "Let's Work" and collaborating with Machinedrum on the stainless-steel swell of "CHSEN" allows Memory to effortlessly move between rhythmic styles while keeping the album moving like a 50-minute DJ set. With Memory, it's apparent that Lazer Sword have toiled over the big picture, leaving little room for twelve-inch singles, all the while crafting an absorbing full-listen. Sorry, club DJs, there's nothing to see here.