CFCF

CFCF re-emerges from the y2k-soaked reverie of ‘Memoryland’ with his new defiantly electro-POP album: ‘L.U.V.’.

Informally titled ‘Life in Ultra-Violet’ (cheekily extending the narrative of ‘Memoryland’ via its denouement “The Ultraviolet Room”), here CFCF reinvigorates multiple strains of dance-pop from the genre’s postmodern hey-day: dayglo Scandi-pop mingles with High Street London bubblegum; collaged speed garage collapses into electroclash garage rock. Tongue-in-cheek, sincere, sarcastically hedonistic; allusions to Dostoyevsky mingle with Uniqlo. Low-brow, high concept, poor taste with sophistication.

A string of guest spots aid CFCF in achieving peak LUV saturation: London pop revivalists Nuum & Seren Forever duet on peppily romantic opener “Kiss Me”; Buenos Aires electro-riot-girls-of-the-moment EQ wave their flag on the raucous “ultra-obscene! (Piel a Piel)”. LA’s industrial-dancepop trio Touching Ice and Miami party girls TECHG1RLS help turn The Ponys’ “Let’s Kill Ourselves” refrains of self-annihilation into a fuck-it-let’s-live anthem. LA’s emerging cabaret princess Dance Arts Center brings highlight “Love Took Root” to dancepop heaven.

A few of CFCF’s Montreal compatriots also lend a hand: Cecile Believe’s manic diva vocals on garage-house banger “Bad Song” prove to be a match made in heaven, while ultra-sleazy Paris-via-QC Euro-trash lounger Bernardino Femminielli waxes la poésie obscène about the bag in his native French on “La Touche”.