Simian Mobile Disco - Temporary Pleasures Album Review

Review of Simian Mobile Disco's album Temporary Pleasures.

If this album sounds like a party, which it does, then the guest list is surely a top-notch one by anyone’s standards. Beginning with ‘Cream Dream’, featuring Gruff Rhys fresh from conquering the world with Neon Neon and keyboards that sound like they’ve been pinched from The Who’s garage – Temporary Pleasures starts well and ends even better.

Simian Mobile Disco have always been the frontrunners of their field- and Temporary Pleasures has definitely seen them up their game. They make accessible, fun dance music with a well-chosen smattering of collaborations: some famous (Beth Ditto) some on the rise (Telepathe). The album takes you from the catchiest of pop choruses down to the deepest recesses of electro beats, and back again, seemingly without even them even breaking into a sweat. But the guests aren’t just there for the name check, SMD are clever little monkeys (pun!). For instance, the wonky shuffle of ‘Bad Blood’ fits in with Alexis Taylor’s vocals perfectly. Beth Ditto’s track ‘Cruel Intentions’ is more of a disco belter, but what then what else would you give to someone with her lungs? But the stand out and quirkiest track is the final curtain ‘Pinball’, made no less wonderful for featuring Brooklyn’s Telepathe (pronounced telepathy). The duo’s girly clipped but delicate vocals compliment the swirly backing track, and it’s definitely the most grown-up serious effort from SMD heard so far.

It was hard to imagine that the duo could have bettered their debut Attack Decay Sustain Release. But Temporary Pleasures takes what they started out doing and goes one step further. Shallow, transient, fun and full of guests: just like all the best parties.

Natalie Kaye