Gang Gang Dance: Eye Contact

Label: 4AD

To tell the truth, I've never been much of a Gang Gang fan—I've always liked the idea of them, but found the lack of cohesion in their tracks to be a problem, rather than a source of their charm. Too cerebral? It doesn't matter, 'cause Eye Contact, their debut for 4AD, features GGD at their most cohesive, and it makes me feel like I finally "get" them. Album-opener "Glass Jar" is like a small album in itself, 11 minutes of shifting dynamics, swirled synth-work and a symphonic sense of arrangement that continually returns to the sparkling warmth of Lizzi Bougatsos's squelchy (seriously, this is a compliment here) vocals and a crisp assemblage of percussion and synths. Ultimately it's the percussion that's key; GGD of the past was a dance band that played it too coy with the beats. On Eye Contact the band stays in the pocket with the rhythms, while indulging their playful side with a typical mix of brightly colored, pseudo-tropical synths, resulting in choice, bouncy cuts like the beach-breeze of "Chinese High" and the funkier, harder-driving "Mindkilla." Hey Gang Gang, I get it now!