Chromeo, Head Over Heels

The wackiest musical restraining order I think I've ever heard. Nobody calls them concept albums anymore, but that's indeed what Montreal's Levantine funk act hath wrought, a meditation on attraction's incarnations all the way from infatuation to incarceration ("I'm not a creep," insists Dave-1 on the ironically named "One Track Mind"). The grooves are overall pretty sweet, especially the album's gleefully berserk standout single "Bad Decision," played in slut chic fashion joints worldwide just before your girlfriend buys that tube top, and the Gap Band-esque "Count Me Out" with its deep and funky baseline. At times there's even a remarkable amount of self-reflection ("Just Friends," "Slummin' It") but the second half's illustrations of love gone wrong get depressing and the tedious two-part "Bedroom Calling" wears out its welcome before it even begins; fortunately there's a strong finish in the smooth "Room Service," bookending the excellent "Must've Been" that leads off. You can't expect an even effort from an album devoted to relationships anything but, and P-Thugg's legs on the cover really are too distracting with that beard, but while I'm not head over heels for this album I certainly feel I could park outside its house with a pair of binoculars. That's praise, right? (Content: adult themes, a couple S- and F-bombs.)

🌟🌟🌟