Wherefore Art Thou, Chromeo?

Chromeo is a pair of 30-something guys who mine and mimic the music of their childhood. On their new album, Business Casual, which drops tomorrow, the Montreal duo makes the kind of jams that might have played at a roller rink, or during an ’80s movie montage where a pack of misfit teens learns to dance, crams for an exam, or plots revenge on the rich kids who torment them.

It’s tempting to dismiss Chromeo as a novelty nostalgia act, a French-Canadian Flight of the Conchords inspired by funk instead of folk.  Yes, they have new songs called “Hot Mess” and “I’m Not Contagious” and lyrics like “Don’t turn the lights on/Tonight I want to see you in the dark.”And yes, they borrow from countless ’80s bands, from Prince to Level 42. Still, the sophistication of the musicianship distinguishes Business Casual from “Business Time.” As they did on She’s in Control (2004) and Fancy Footwork (2007), Patrick Gemayel and David Macklovitch fuse a swirl of synthesizers, funky guitar, soulful singing, and dance beats, distilling decades of music and half a lifetime of friendship into 10 new songs.

Chromeo, I’m Not Contagious

If the male narrators on Business Casual are smooth talkers and romantic dreamers, the ladies have their doubts. They are too hesitant, too skeptical, or downright dismissive, as when the the female vocalist on “Hot Mess” insults her sensitive suitor in a British accent: “What do you want me to do about it? I’m not a bloody social worker.”

Chromeo, Hot Mess

Some singers might weep or wring their hands. But not Chromeo. The mating dance on Business Casual is all enthusiasm and persistence, dressed in vintage clothes. “Night by Night” channels the pulse of “Eye of the Tiger” and borrows part of a guitar solo from the Eagles’ “One of These Nights.” The extended keyboard breakdown on “You Make It Rough” sounds like a Talking Heads jam session. And the album’s closer, “Grow Up,” channels Stevie Wonder with finger snaps to make Wham! proud.

Chromeo, Night by Night

Macklovitch sings in falsetto that lends the record an air of soulful seduction. When he drops his voice, as on “Don’t Turn the Lights On,”  he’s a dead ringer for Toto frontman Bobby Kimball.  And on “You Make It Rough,” he breaks into a rap packed with near rhymes: “The situation worsens/The words turn into curses/For certain/You’ve got me all tied up/Just like a serpent/I can’t make any assertion/Without you thinkin’ It’s hurtin’/I guess it’s really time to pull the curtains.”

Chromeo, Don’t Turn the Lights On

Meanwhile, Gemayel sings backing vocals through a talk box, echoing key lyrics and urging listeners to stay on the dance floor. (“Don’t stop, baby/Let the rhythm take your body/Don’t stop, baby/Let the music take control.”) His robotic delivery is the sonic equivalent of putting words in italics, especiallly when juxtaposed against Macklovitch’s smoothness. The effect also alludes to  generations of electronically modified voices, from Peter Frampton to Roger Troutman, from Daft Punk to T-Pain. In a way, the talkbox epitomizes Chromeo’s whole project, new retro music that blurs the boundaries between artifice and authenticity, sincerity and satire.

Chromeo, Night by Night

Similarly, Chromeo raised their profile this summer when they toured with Daryl Hall. Was it irony to enlist a legendary 64-year-old singer, a guy now lampooned on Yacht Rock and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia? Maybe, but the pairing makes sense. Like Chromeo, Hall and Oates are a keyboard-guitar duo who update sounds of the past. H&O brought soul to the MTV generation, sold millions of records, and have licensed samples to hip-hop royalty, including De La Soul, Wu Tang Clan, and Kanye West. Nearly 30 years later, Chromeo has revived the music that made Hall and Oates superstars. Whoa-oh here they come.

Put on your Business Socks