Having spent the year tearing up social media and gossip sites as much as he spent tearing up the dancefloor, masked EDM superstar
Deadmau5 seemed close to becoming a "celebrity DJ" in 2012, quite the evolution considering how his rise to fame was homegrown and fan-driven. Following up two albums with equally shruggy titles -- 2008's
Random Album Title and 2009's
For Lack of a Better Name --
>Album Title Goes Here< surprisingly comes off as the most "whatevs" of the bunch, favoring slowly developing tracks with extended intros, and cruising along the spaceways at midtempo and with only the occasional thump.
My Chemical Romance's
Gerard Way may give "Professional Griefers" his full goth swagger and "The Veldt," with guest vocalist Chris James, may use Ray Bradbury as the inspiration for an eight-minute EDM suite, but these tracks aren't overly garish, slick, or busy, and it's only when
Cypress Hill show up on the iffy wobbler "Failbait" that the album feels clumsy or
Steve Aoki-sized. The most rewarding moments come from the more restrained cuts, as
Imogen Heap yearns for the human touch during the quite beautiful electro-haiku called "Telemiscommunications," while the bright floor-filler "Channel 42," with fellow producer
Wolfgang Gartner, is pure fun, giving electro a bit of dubstep's punch and layering the twerpy sequencer patterns like they're multiple kites twisting in the sky. The firm bassline of "Superliminal" is something to latch onto, and it's cute how "Closer" uses the Close Encounters of the Third Kind theme to launch a bubbly journey through disco space. Add it all up, and
>Album Title Goes Here< doesn't come off as entitled, over the top, or celebified enough to get in the V.I.P. section. Flying in the face of his public persona, this is a sprawling (could be tighter) and humble (could be more persuasive)
Deadmau5 album and one best suited for established fans. ~ David Jeffries