Absent from the album bins for a decade or so, French house duo
Cassius finally returned in 2016 with
Ibifornia, and the easy thing to say is that
Daft Punk's 2013 LP,
Random Access Memories, is what likely drove them back. This sorta concept album -- about a mythical partyland that combines Ibiza and California -- comes with so much disco, and just enough
Pharrell Williams, that a
Nile Rodgers appearance seems just around the bend, but there's more going on here than a bunch of wannabe "Get Lucky" cash-ins.
Ibifornia comes with enough funk and cool from guest vocalist
Cat Power that it could be the spiritual sequel to the
Tom Tom Club's debut album, plus all the faux exotica, busy soundscapes, and chugging basslines suggest the Swiss duo
Yello. That's a wider spectrum than just retro disco, especially when the
Beastie Boys'
Mike D joins
Cat Power on the extended workout called "Action," which comes off as the follow-up single to
the Beastie's "Intergalactic." Pride and funk power pour out of
Mike D's other punchy cut, "Love Parade," but the title track is a chilled tropical house number that gets to the concept that
Ibifornia is a relaxed paradise. It's still not a complacent land, as the beautiful "Blue Jean Heart" with
Portugal. The Man vocalist
John Gourley is a techno ballad that feeds the soul, and it must be in the vicinity of "Pepperland," as "Hey You!" with
Ryan Tedder is big, busy, and
Beatlesque. Think of it as a vacation-ready alternative to
Random Access Memories or
Cassius' kaleidoscopic vision of mixing retro genres by the beach. Whatever way it is approached,
Ibifornia is a fine getaway that ends up as a memorable trip. [
Ibifornia was also released on LP.] ~ David Jeffries