Cassius
15 Again
EMI


Do you remember when French house music was everyone's talking point and artists such as Daft Punk, Stardust, Bob Sinclar, Gu and Dmitri From Paris were the emerging leaders of this new sound? Do you also remember Cassius, another name that was synonymous with French house music, with their incredibly infectious hits Feelings For You and Cassius 1999? If the term 'French house' and the names already mentioned don't really compute, I don't blame you, with Daft Punk spiraling into mediocrity, Stardust becoming obsolete, Sinclar knocking more on pop music realms and Gu and Dmitri From Paris remaining relatively quiet. If this new album from Cassius is an indication, French house may be, sadly, a thing of the past.

After their disappointing sophomore album 'Au Reve', you would have thought that they would have learnt something and perhaps not stray too much with the formula that gave them huge success with their debut 'Cassius 1999'. But '15 Again' is unfortunately far removed from the sexy French house sounds and is more abstract electro than anything else. Ok, the album opener Toop Toop has a certain infectious feel, with its effective use of guitar riffs and up beats and Jackrock and Cactus will win fans over with their throwback to the '80s electro sounds, but tracks like 15 Again, A Mile From Here and Cria Cuervos just leave me scratching my head, with their seemingly random samples and sounds that just confuse. Even Pharell Williams (yes that Pharell) makes a cameo on the politically and environmentally sensitive Eye Water!?!?

I mourned the demise of funky, sexy French house music for a while after the release of 'Au Reve'. The impending news of another album release from Cassius had my hopes up, but upon listening to this album, the mourning sadly continues.

Leo Varona