Although it's been seven years since his last full-length (2009's Ciao!), Tiga hasn't changed much. Dusting off the blueprints from the past decade, No Fantasy Required finds the Montreal musician once again bringing in big-name co-producers (this time Matthew Dear, Paranoid London and Hudson Mohawke) and guest vocalists (Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears) and pushing the same club-friendly beats and lyrical themes. The main difference here is that No Fantasy Required is a much more musically focused release, relying heavily on EDM and modern club beats to make up the personality of tracks like "Make Me Fall in Love," "Tell Me Your Secret" and "Plush," even if the title track and "Don't Break My Heart" seemingly reach back to early club and house music for sonic identifiers.
Tiga's third release is undoubtedly his most fun and unrestrained, powered by sampled vocal stabs that sometimes add to the song's panache and sometimes feel tacked-on. No Fantasy Required is partly a success because Tiga knows exactly what works, but it's a mess at times because he hasn't quite figured out what doesn't, either.
(Counter)Tiga's third release is undoubtedly his most fun and unrestrained, powered by sampled vocal stabs that sometimes add to the song's panache and sometimes feel tacked-on. No Fantasy Required is partly a success because Tiga knows exactly what works, but it's a mess at times because he hasn't quite figured out what doesn't, either.