Le Hammond Inferno

Le Hammond Inferno are actually two German gents named Hoger and Marcus, who are the duo behind the ultra-hip indie-pop label Bungalow Records. This album, their first public offering, is a big pile of fun to listen to. Sure, there’s lots of goofy dance beats and dubious choruses, like "Put your left hand in the air, put your MP3 in your underwear!,” but My First Political Dance Album is worthwhile because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. At least I hope it doesn’t. Regardless, there are a lot of different styles on the album, ranging from more down-tempo and sultry lounge-pop on "CK T-Shirts” to dance floor fillers like "F.S.B.” or "Speech Defects.” There’s even a track that is essentially a housed-up cover of "I Am The Resurrection,” by the Stone Roses. Sampled beats, drum machines, classic synths, borrowed soundtrack sounds and rhythm guitars play well of each other throughout the album, and their lyrics range from the light-hearted to the absurd. Vocals are shared by a variety of male and female guests of varying skill. And don’t expect anything too deep; "I’m the Chairman Mao of the disco sound” serves as another fine indication of their lyrical prowess. This is definitely the sound of two guys with a huge collection of diverse sounding pop and dance records from around the world that wanted to goof around in the studio as a nice break from releasing cool records, and it works.