Booka Shade – The Sun & The Neon Light

The Sun & The Neon Light – Booka Shade

By Aidan Roberts

For all intents and purposes, German electro lads Booka Shade’s latest album offers something of a sit-down affair; a high-concept album dealing with our daily transitions and contrasts between day and night life, framed in a lush diorama of electro-house and soaring orchestral interweavings. So does it deliver’ Yes and no. All the right pieces of the puzzle are there in essence – a slow build with opening tracks Outskirts and Dukes, progressing into the ‘night life’ parts of the story with clubbier numbers Planetary and Control Me, which fans of John Fox may get a kick out of its satisfying chord movements and vocal meandering. Dusty Boots promises some Morricone-tinged filmic fun, and throughout the record Booka Shade have attempted to provide some sonic intrigue utilising a string orchestra and found sounds. But overall there’s a safeness to everything, sonically and lyrically; something in the very familiar blips and blops and smoothly orchestrated moments that means this glossy and well thought out house-symphony feels somewhat retrospective, rather than progressive.

**1/2