Other than being a side project of Death From Above 1979, there isn’t much to say about MSTRKRFT on their debut album The Looks. Except if the missing vowels in their name is bothersome.
The Toronto duo, DFA79 producer Al-P and bassist JFK (Jesse F. Keeler), ditch the noisy dance punk of DFA79 in favor of a more accessible electro/ house/ disco-funk style that is quite reminiscent of Daft Punk and in some respects, LCD Soundsystem.
The result is a hypnotic party album full of stylish synth squelching and bass bobbing for a night of drunken booty shaking.
The pair, known for their raucous club remixes of Metric, Polysics, and Bloc Party (to name a few), keeps the adrenaline pumping on each of the eight tracks. In what seems like a LP of 12-inch singles, highlighted by “Easy Love” and the hand clapping electro stomp of “She’s Good For Business,” The Looks maintains a varied rhythmic flow throughout to help keep the party rollin’.
Simply put, nothing new is represented here. MSTRKRFT can be added to the list of the seemingly never-ending supply of artists that employ the effective electro/ house/ funk format that ultimately fills the dance floors on most club nights.
