The electro-pop group’s third album is both ear-poppingly vivid and refined with a wildly diverse range of sounds. Further progressing into a wide array of pop and rock jams translated through layers of electronics, each song on Made in the Dark has a ripe hook, regardless of tempo.
From the buzzing intro of “Out at the Pictures” to the soft exit on “In the Privacy of Our Love”, the album treks up and down rhythmic peaks and valleys while showcasing the five-piece’s ability to create both rich electronic dance tracks and somber lullabies. “Shake a Fist” is a powerful electro-jungle jam while “Ready for the Floor” is cheerfully gripping pop. “We’re Looking for a Lot of Love” is a smooth, lounge-y coaster with a tender vocal track, and is the first indication of the broad scope of the rest of Made in the Dark.
“Touch Too Much” summarizes the remaining tracks well as it combines an endearingly slow chorus with a rapid, swirling verse. The rest of the album is made of elements that resemble both sides of the track, but in more even developed and poignant doses. The title track is a quiet bedroom ballad, while “One Pure Thought” uses a slick guitar riff to catapult into a hip-tickling electronic bounce. “Hold On” turns the jungle tempo back up before “Wrestlers” introduces a bar-rap, piano-driven stomp as one of their most unique tracks to date. “Don’t Dance” spaces the electronics out one last time before “Whistle for Will” and “In the Privacy of Our Love” finish the album off in a touching finale.
More than any of their efforts before, Made in the Dark expands the group’s boundaries thanks to their ability of hugely varying their tempos. It’s all over the atmospheric map, and as thorough an album as any recent indie pop effort. Thirteen beautifully crafted tracks are sure to keep it as one of the most important albums of 2008.
