Absent from the album bins for a decade or so, French house duo Cassius finally returned in 2016 with Ibifornia, and the easy thing to say is that Daft Punk's 2013 LP, Random Access Memories, is what likely drove them back. This sorta concept album -- about a mythical partyland that combines Ibiza and California -- comes with so much disco, and just enough Pharrell Williams, that a Nile Rodgers appearance seems just around the bend, but there's more going on here than a bunch of wannabe "Get Lucky" cash-ins. Ibifornia comes with enough funk and cool from guest vocalist Cat Power that it could be the spiritual sequel to the Tom Tom Club's debut album, plus all the faux exotica, busy soundscapes, and chugging basslines suggest the Swiss duo Yello. That's a wider spectrum than just retro disco, especially when the Beastie Boys' Mike D joins Cat Power on the extended workout called "Action," which comes off as the follow-up single to the Beastie's "Intergalactic." Pride and funk power pour out of Mike D's other punchy cut, "Love Parade," but the title track is a chilled tropical house number that gets to the concept that Ibifornia is a relaxed paradise. It's still not a complacent land, as the beautiful "Blue Jean Heart" with Portugal. The Man vocalist John Gourley is a techno ballad that feeds the soul, and it must be in the vicinity of "Pepperland," as "Hey You!" with Ryan Tedder is big, busy, and Beatlesque. Think of it as a vacation-ready alternative to Random Access Memories or Cassius' kaleidoscopic vision of mixing retro genres by the beach. Whatever way it is approached, Ibifornia is a fine getaway that ends up as a memorable trip. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi

1		The Missing
2		Love Parade
3		Action
4		Go Up
5		Ibifornia
6		Hey You!
7		Feel Like Me
8		Blue Jean Smile[Featuring John Gourley of Portugal. The Man]
9		The Sound Of Love
10		Ponce

	Like us on Facebook
	@SoundHound	Follow