What if a Greek Hero Suddenly Started a Disco Band

The name itself is unusual, but this is typical of any band really.  Hercules & Love Affair are a disco/house/dance-punk band started by NYC-based DJ Andy Butler.  The cast of musicians around him rotates based on what he is working on.  The band moniker is a bit unusual given the nature of the character Hercules and the music in question, though I guess an argument could be made that the band delivers the music in a herculean way.

Butler started the band in 2004 while attending Sarah Lawrence College in New York City.  The band’s first live performance was in 2007.  Their self-titled first record received strong critical reviews and is the subject of this entry.

# 113 – Hercules & Love Affair, Hercules & Love Affair (Metascore = 113)

“Time Will”, the opening track, features Antony Hegarty on vocals.  Hegarty, for those who don’t recall from a previous post, is the “Antony” of Antony and the Johnsons, and he writes several of the songs on this set.  “Time Will” has an ‘80’s dance vibe to it, with its electronic squeals and keyboards featured prominently throughout the track.  “Hercules Theme”, on the other hand, sounds like a throwback to ‘70’s disco, with its funk beat and use of horns, keyboards, and twisting harmonizing singing.  The song sounds like it could’ve come straight from K.C. & the Sunshine Band’s back catalog.

“You Belong” is the probably the most modern track; in fact, it sounds like it would be right at home on an LCD Soundsystem record.  (Does James Murphy approve?)  Ignoring “Time Will”, this album is a catchy record.  The songs are put together well and the beats are easy to latch onto.  “Blind” is quite possibly the best song on this record and was the album’s first single.  Hegarty performs well here, and the supporting music has that hint of retro that permeates from the record.

Some of the tracks do fall off to me, though.  After “Blind”, “Iris” and “Easy” leave me wishing that the party from the previous four tracks had continued.  Fortunately, “This Is My Love” and “Raise Me Up” bring the funk back to the mix, though neither brings back the attitude that existed in the earlier four songs mentioned.

I will say that this record had moments where it was very catchy and a nice throwback to older dance music.  However, there are some tracks that just felt flat and lacked the energy of something like “Blind” or “Athene”.  I personally the Metascore should have been lower because while the overall quality was good, the songs I did not like should have dragged it below an 85.