This Is Normal [ECD]

On THIS IS NORMAL, GusGus' second full-length, the Icelandic collective shows 1995's POLYDISTORTION was just the beginning. This record brims with fun and infectious hooks, club-rocking beats, and alluring production. But the group's secret weapon might well be its undeniable spirit of optimism. GusGus makes state-of-the-art dance music, though there are enough pop elements here to appeal to a wide audience.
"Ladyshave", the opening track and initial single, is a cheekily risquT number built on a pumping organ vamp that could send a room full of fraternity brothers into a heartfelt bout of rump shaking. With an insistent chorus that sticks in the brain after one listen, the song would sound appropriate in a glam version of CALIGULA. The ecstatic "Starlovers" features a gospel call-and-response chorus that paints vivid pictures of a rapturous club crowd testifying in unison. While leaping from style to style, recalling the trip-hop of Massive Attack, the futuristic post-disco sound of Curve, and the sonic noodling of fellow Icelander Bjork, GusGus shows enough originality and flair to keep from sounding like mere pastiche artists.|