RIYL: LCD Soundsystem, Daft Punk, Lady Gaga

For those who dig their electronica with a generous helping of humor and irony, Calvin Harris’ 2007 debut I Created Disco delivered even beyond its oh so ironic and humorous title (the dude was born in 1984!) and home grown charm. Unfortunately, while Calvin has gained a more polished sound and access to more bells and whistles than in the past, he has lost his sense of humor. Tunes like “You Used to Hold Me,” “Worst Day” and “Blue” (with a damning cliché of a lyric in “everything around me is blue / the color that reminds me of you”) are indicative of an artist who has some breakup tension to unleash – in this case, a better place to do that would be in a therapist’s office. Calvin’s cheekier take on electronica was a classic pick-me-up. If he can get his head back into that space, perhaps he’ll be a whole lot happier – and so will the rest of us. (Columbia 2009)

Calvin Harris MySpace page