Blog: The Tripwire

Release Date: 05.27.08 Already the toast of the bloggersphere, Hercules & Love Affair's eponymous debut is one of the most fawned-over releases of the year, but for all the wrong reasons, it seems. Andrew Butler, the producer/brainchild behind H&LA, has modest skills and a vast knowledge of '80s electro and Chicago house, yet not a gripping album does that alone make. By and large, his throbbing beats and organic flow are less than compelling, suffering the major pitfalls of its chosen ilk, i.e. wonky sequencing, predictable structures and a noticeable dearth of hooks. While [...]