Dance music has always been an awkward genre for home listening. Nobody throws on Daft Punk to lounge by the fireplace. But the best dance artists transcend the club scene, making their way into our everyday listening experiences. Deadmau5's latest album shows that he has yet to become that kind of musician.
Even though tracks from "4x4=12" could get some people going hard on the dance floor, they fail to live outside of that frenetic context. And I hate to say it, but this album doesn't even do that well within the confines of the club scene.
Obviously, repetition and synth hooks are a key component of today's dance music. LCD Soundsystem, Underworld and numerous other dance artists have managed to stretch the simplest musical motifs beyond the seven−minute mark without any sense of redundancy. Deadmau5 can hardly make it to two minutes.
"Bad Selection" takes an irritating, gradually ascending synth line and sets it against a completely stagnant drumbeat for five migraine−inducing minutes. Even on the dance floor, this song would get tiring. Doesn't dancing benefit from a little variety? When Daft Punk wants people to go crazy, the band switches back and forth between themes, keeping the songs from feeling too stationary.
Deadmau5 varies themes across tracks, but they rarely vary within a song. If you want a reliable idea of how each track is going to sound, listen to the first thirty seconds. That's about it. The album's best tracks, like "Animal Rights" and "Everything Before," give the listener brief reprieves of variation, but they are fleeting.
Even when the album features other musicians playing live, they mimic the sterility of the album's electronic production. Several tracks on "4x4=12" feature SOFI, an up−and−coming vocalist who has worked with several DJs in the past few years. Her delivery is completely robotic and unvaried: Every word syncs up with the background in the same way. She never changes her dynamics or phrasing. Volume and emotionality are kept at the same level on every track she contributes to.
Regardless of all its weak points, "4x4=12" has some merits. "Right This Second" has a humorously compelling intro, with Baroque−esque melodies played on an array of glitchy synths. When the drumbeat finally enters the track after the two−minute mark, one realizes how much a little restraint would contribute to Deadmau5's approach. Holding back on the grinding beats makes them all the more satisfying when they finally arrive.
As a whole, the album is very well−produced. The synthesizers and the rhythmic tracks all sound cohesive, giving each the vibrancy of the best dance tracks. Deadmau5 also has a keen sense of timing. His use of abrasive, wobbly synth licks does a great job of filling the space between drum hits and melodies. Any quiet moments on the album are almost always followed by gratifyingly intense volume swells, with the percussion and melodic content building to a dance−inducing climax.
This formula is employed in most club music, but Deadmau5 shows how appropriate it can be in a dance situation. Nonetheless, it's a good idea to keep "4x4=12" on the dance floor. While this record may be good for people who want to enjoy a night out with their friends, it fails to hold its own outside of this limited context. Even the best moments on "4x4=12" pale in comparison to similar albums by artists like Daft Punk who have managed to walk the fine line between dance and non−dance genres.
