Groove Armada are one of those groups who go along, doing their thing, writing the occasional decent tune but never setting the world – or my world at least – on fire. My essential indifference to the band wasn’t altered by Black Light, which is another album that’s, you know, okay, but unlikely to be anyone’s favourite record of the year.
The title is certainly apt, as it’s largely compromised of darker material than Tom Findlay and Andy Cato have been known for in the past – foreboding synths and claustrophobic rhythms are the order of the day. Occasionally, this yields excellent results, such as on the impressive mid-album triptych of ’Paper Romance’, ‘Warsaw’ and ‘Shameless’ (which features Bryan Ferry on vocals); each of these tunes blend ominous electro sounds and hypnotic vocals to powerful effect.
But it has to be said that there’s an awful lot of filler before you get to the good stuff – the likes ‘Fall Silent’ and ‘Just For Tonight’ are drab affairs lacking any real creative spark. Overall, a fairly decent record that I probably won’t listen to again any time soon – a reaction I seemed destined to have to any Groove Armada album I listen to.