With sharp electronic edges, Digitalism’s debut album blends both dance and lounge elements like a bag of broken glass. Much like the LED on Idealism’s cover, the tunes are slightly disconnected collections of bleeps, fuzz, and synthbeats. While this doesn’t allow for particularly smooth flow worthy of an all-night electrorave, each track is attention-grabbing in a singular, stark way.
The German duo is remniscient of other Euro duos that feature a repetitive beat, synthy overtures, and occasionally robotic vocals. Idealism isn’t groundbreaking, but it still has substance. The opening track, "Magnets", features a semi-industrial beat and wall-pushing synth before giving way to mechanical vocals. "Zdarlight", one of their singles to date, has a bouncing arpeggiation rolling through an understated dance beat. One of the livelier tracks on the album, "I Want I Want", features a pace-setting electric guitar, romping disco-rock beat and shouted vocals. Idealism exudes life, but it’s just not always human.
For most of the remainder of the album, rhythms jump through metallic hoops, and synths party with little consequence. "Digitalism In Cairo" is an Eastern Bloc jam with distorted narration, "Pogo" is a gliding organ-driven bounce, and "The Pulse" is much like the beating heart of a mechanical dance factory.
With their debut, Digitalism has created an album that truly lives up to their name. Idealism seemingly promotes an electronic religion that’s not just dance and not just ambient, but a chilly take on both while borrowing elements from good ol’ rock. Strong synths and serious beats dominate the album, and, between them, leave little to the imagination.
