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Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Effectively the solo project of New York based DJ and producer Andy Butler, with the help of some interesting friends, Hercules and Love Affair is , unlikely though it sounds, the point where classic disco meets classical myth--the title apparently refers to the legendary hero's fondness for his own sex. Although co-produced by LCD Soundsystem's Tim Goldsworthy, Hercules and Love Affair is a flightier, more hedonistic proposition, filled with echoes of long gone clubs and ghosts of the pre-AIDS glory days of New York's gay scene. Yet it celebrates rather than mourns the past as a series of guest vocalists leave their mark, Antony Hegarty the most familiar. The terrific, irresistible single "Blind", reportedly some four years in gestation, stands out but the wistfully positive "Raise Me Up" isn't far behind, Hegarty's inimitably sad tones incongruously juxtaposed with a gleeful arrangement. Though even his voice has a hard battle with the lift from Frankie Knuckles's classic "Your Love" which underpins the opener "Time Will". The spaced out jazz of "This Is My Love", sung by Butler himself, the dizzily ecstatic house of "You Belong", the purest of flashbacks, and Kim Ann's vocal turn on the elegant "Athene" are other highlights on a remarkably assured and entertaining first effort. This year won't see a better example of danceable melancholy than Hercules and Love Affair. --Steve Jelbert
NME
"all the sparkle and naughtiness that made disco oh-so-special"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Believe the Hype; Don't Believe the Backlash Either.,
By
This review is from: Hercules and Love Affair (Audio CD)
Whatever impressions you may have gotten from lead single 'Blind', its best to approach this album with an open mind (as with most things). Whilst Hercules & Love Affair do take their lead from disco music, the scope of the songs is much broader, embracing minimalistic techno and torch-balladry to creating a heady and eclectic tracklist. They might not always produce up-tempo, dance-floor friendly hits, but to criticise Hercules & Love Affair for such a thing would be unfair, not to mention small-minded.
If there is a fault with the album, it is in the sequencing. The penultimate tracks, 'This is My Love' and 'Raise Me Up' sound uninspired and formulaic in comparison to all that comes before, contributing to a distinct second half-lull. This a minor complaint considering that the run of tip-top tracks runs uninterrupted from opener 'Free Will' through to the sublime 'Easy'. Each song has its own stylistic flavour that should keep the restless happy. To pick two examples: 'Hercules' Theme' starts off with a slinky keyboard and grows from there into a steam-rolling behemoth as the violins, trumpets and bass begin piling on top of one another; 'Athene', on the other-hand, cruises on a bed of crisp percussion and cartwheeling keyboards with unflappable cool, finding its groove and riding it until its five minutes are up. Even after this, there's still much more to explore. Antony Hegarty of Antony & the Johnsons fame is a soulful presence on the album and leaves an indelible mark on tracks like 'Blind' and 'Easy'(his talents are wasted on the workman-like, 'Raise Me Up'). Antony might be the star here, but the whole menagerie of musicians and singers deserve credit, and its in thanks to this fluid-line up that Hercules & Love Affair can be seen as a banner for pioneering pop. Of course, you might have problems with the group's genre-tourism and find nothing beyond 'Blind' that spins your propellor - but you could do worse than buy the album and give it a try. Don't let the bad reviews put you off.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Keep the love affair going,
By
This review is from: Hercules and Love Affair (Audio CD)
Hercules and Love Affair throw something new and inventive into the ring with their self titled debut. Pulling from several different genres they produce a unique and extremely enjoyable disco sound.
Fusing together everything from an almost blaxplotation sound in "Hercules Theme" to 90s dance influenced "You Belong" which could quite easily be Inner City. From the current era, a nod towards New Young Pony Club keeps it from being just a nostalgic trip down memory lane. The experimentation and individuality should be applauded. The producer on this album is Andrew Butler and his electro disco passion is here for all to see. Something to note is the involvement of Antony Hegarty, winner if the Mercury Prize 2006 with Antony and the Johnsons. This is leagues apart from that heartfelt and stunningly emotional album. For such a distinctive and gentle voice it is a surprise to hear how well Hegarty and his voice fits. This for me is 100% better than his previous work. On tracks where he takes the lead vocals, like "Blind" with it's knightrider style baseline, he really stands out and it is one of the album highlights. The album has been well structured, something Hot Chip could learn from. An excellent lead from high tempo tracks into the more mellow numbers, without it sounding disjointed. The album does gave some fillers, "Easy" being one example, this is the only negative I can draw. Now this will be a hard act for follow when it comes to the second album. *** Like: The Juan Maclean, Metro Area, Patrick Cowley ***
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I can look outside myself,
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Hercules and Love Affair (Audio CD)
I first heard of Hercules & Love Affair via a Goldfrapp remix that they did of the song "A&E." A pleasant remix, and it led me to ferret out their debut album.
Well don't expect to be blown away by Hercules & Love Affair's self titled debut. While it has some clever, striking moments, this album is mostly repetitive mellow beats, solid vocals from a much-beloved singer, and some pleasant flourishes around the edges. It's not a bad album by any means, but it's a bit too easy to daydream during many of the songs. It opens with a thick drum being tapped, snapping fingers, and the stern command, "Don't lie to me/don't make it up," before the song melts into a tangle of twisted synth, gentle electro beats and a warm, thick layer of keyboard like drizzled honey. This is probably the high point of the whole album. Then things slump with "Hercules' Theme," an electrofunky tune riddled with horns and electric violins -- which sounds promising until you realize that the entire tune is running on a treadmill. And that continues into the songs that follow -- breathy hip-hoppy techno, blippy dance music, delicate electronica smothered by unspeakably melodramatic singing, sparkly electropop, and finally finishing with the joyously cluttered finale "True False Fake Real." Too bad the whole album wasn't like that last song -- colourful, unpredictable and profoundly odd. It's worth noting that "Hercules & Love Affair" is not a terrible album -- not even really a bad one, and there are some truly gorgeous moments like "Easy," a darkly twisting little number that left me craving lots more. And it's graced with plenty of jazzy secondary instrumentation. But the music tends to be quite repetitive -- "Athene" seems to endlessly run through the same few hard beats, as does the drippy island-y "You Belong" and the uneasily retro-funky "Raise Me Up." Hard beats, warm organic beats, tinkly ethereal ones, and all dressed in waves of synth, airy ripples, blares of horn, and lots of electric violin -- it gives a bit of extra flavour to the dancy songs. Antony Hegarty's (of Antony and the Johnsons) powerful voice is present in some of the melodies, but frankly he feels misplaced there -- his rich vocals sound like they're overflowing over the songs' sides, especially since they never change around him. Kim Ann Foxman's droning she-robot singing fits in far better. "Hercules and Love Affair" is basically a rather ordinary dance album strung with some truly exquisite flourishes around the edges. Here's hoping for something even better next time.
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