With his first release three years, Tiga returns with Ciao!, physically released today in North America, an album that is equal parts electro as it is MTL death disco. While lead single “Shoes” could become his biggest hit to-date, its catchy chorus and easy punctuated rubberband bass belie the rest of the album’s distortion and anti-pop songwriting. Collaborating primarily with Soulwax for production and composition, Ciao! takes on more of a mission than its predecessor. This is not an introduction, this is the artist in the middle of the night at the peak of his form. It’s bolder, it’s a little colder, and it is 100% original – none of those much-loved covers make their way on here. “Luxury” will likely be the next hit, and the James Murphy-co-penned and produced “Gentle Giant” will be a fan favorite. Whether he’s referencing Nabokov on “Speak, Memory” or making a booty call on “Sex O’Clock” Tiga’s beats are so solid you forget he’s probably trying to subvert everything you hold dear. It’s the nearly 11 minute “Love Don’t Dance Here Anymore,” however, that reveals who Tiga really is: disco don extraordinaire.
Also out today is the much anticipated Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, from Phoenix. It’s a solid collection, but since they stopped innovating after 2004′s Alphabetical, there’s little to go crazy about on a steady collection of indie-alt-rock. Grizzly Bear‘s second album, Vickatimest, works hard to match the cred its first release earned them. Nico Muhly’s orchestral contributions serve them well in this capacity.
Vieux Farka Touré returns with his second album of originals, Fondo on Six Degrees and Marley scion Julian delivers his third disc, Awake, with guest spots from a few of his brothers.
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