Calvin Harris

I Created Disco

(Almost Gold)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

Standing on the shoulders of giants like LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk, 23-year-old Scotsman Calvin Harris makes his full-length debut with I Created Disco, hoping to build on the success of his club-igniting single "Acceptable in the '80s."

While Harris didn't generate enough fresh ideas to stretch across an entire album, there's certainly evidence that he will outlive his supposed 15 minutes of fame (the Harris buzz and backlash began months before his U.S. release date). Among the form-breakers, "Love Souvenir" taps into a late-night R&B vibe, but then winds up recycling itself, sounding like an inflated interlude. "Electro Man" proves to be a late surprise and highlight, harnessing some Bowie-ish flair and allowing Harris a rare moment of poignancy as he repeatedly sings, "I would go anywhere with you."

For the most part, I Created Disco doesn't stray from the proven blueprint of Daft Punk-descended grooves, twitchy electronic melodies and a mixture of flatly deadpan vocals and flamboyant falsettos. Harris plays to his hard-to-resist strengths on "Acceptable in the '80s," "Merrymaking at My Place" and the lecherous "The Girls" (in which he makes like the Lou Bega of electro-pop). Filter out the filler and the dancefloor will come calling.