Sydney duo
Bag Raiders follow a handful of 12” singles, along with over a dozen remixes for the likes of
Cut Copy,
Sneaky Sound System, and
Kid Sister, with a succinct album for the Modular label. After
Jack Glass and
Chris Stracey issued 2007/2008 singles on Bang Gang, they gradually refined their sound, inching away from somewhat crude electro-house and toward a softer, winsome, more melodic form of dance-pop rooted in disco and synth pop. That development continues here, led by the brisk, blissful 2009 A-side “Shooting Stars” -- the only previously released track on the album -- and “Gone Away,” a gorgeous, unassuming tune that interlaces several ear-pleasing ideas within three minutes.
Glass and
Stracey have become so skilled at making full-blown songs that the instrumentals -- four of the disc’s 11 tracks -- come across like extended, undercooked intermissions. ~ Andy Kellman