Miami Horror - Illumination review

Here in Australia summer officially starts on December 1st, however it starts getting warm (and sometimes unbearably hot) well before then.  Miami Horror released their debut album, Illumination, on August 20th, just shy of the first day of Spring, and it's appropriate.  As the rain clouds and cold weather moved out of the way for the warming embrace of the sun, a four-piece from Melbourne released an album that basically bashed people in the head with its unwavering "light" based imagery.  Name of the band, Miami Horror.  Miami = sun, surf, beaches? Check.  Title of the album, Illumination (that one pretty much speaks for itself doesn't it?).  Album art, a Red Giant hovering over a peaceful landscape? Check.  Lyrics that reference the sun or light in some way, shape or form? Check. If the music itself was a small child's primary school art project, every song would be covered in glitter glue and have neon ribbons jutting off in every direction.  However, it should be expected.  This is a dance record.  Sort of.

I'll be the first to admit that when I'm in a bar and a catchy song comes on that almost every patron knows and dances along to, I'll be the one guy you see in the corner with his arms folded across his chest tightly clutching a bottle of beer in one hand.  In the privacy of my own home, however, I have moves that would literally astonish and amaze.  With that being said, we can eliminate the idea that I simply don't like this kind of music.  In actuality, I love it.  And apparently so do Australians.  The indie/dance/synth/new wave revival or whatever you want to call it certainly is not new, and there are a plethora of bands who do it very well, Cut Copy, Passion Pit, Daft Punk, Pnau, are just a few that come to mind.  Miami Horror doesn't attempt to cover any new ground, instead relying on the paths pioneered by other bands before them to deliver the goods.  Is this necessarily bad?  Not in the least bit.  When Miami Horror hits a high note, it is slick, catchy, and a lot of fun.  Tracks like "Holidays", "Moon Theory" and "Sometimes" really capture the essence of the album.  Thumping bass lines, catchy choruses, arpeggiated chords and plinking synths weave seamlessly together to create instant dance floor bliss.

Illumination's weak points come in the form of the slower tracks.  Songs like "Echoplex" and "Imagination" seems as though someone just turned the tempo way down in an effort to stretch the song out for as long as possible.  The lyrics, well, let's just say they're what you would expect from a dance album.  Overall, Miami Horror's Illumination is a good summer record, catchy, fun songs to spin on the stereo while you're sucking back stubbies from your esky.

Here is a track from Miami Horror's 2008 EP Bravado, courtesy of rcrdlbl.com...