It’s odd to me how so many people project their own expectations onto this album. I feel like I keep reading about how this is a return to G-Funk, or how this album could only happen in L.A., or how this is a Gangsta with a capital “G” album.

Frankly, I’m not sure I hear any of this. To me, Dam-Funk is all about late ‘70s and early ‘80s experimental synth and drum artists, and I find him interesting because he pulls off the feat of being a throwback artist while still being progressive. (Sidenote: When it’s my time to go, I want Zapp & Roger’s “More Bounce To The Ounce” played at my funeral. None of this sappy shit.)

The use of synths and vocoders and drum machines certainly aren’t new. But the devotion to this sparse instrumentation and limited vocals offer a challenge to the songwriter and the listener. Dam-Funk proves to be up to the challenge, creating atmospheres and riffs, building and progressing at a laid-back pace. Riffs and phrases slowly layer and build, and before you know it, you’re sucked into a dream-like state. If you were to pick a small cross section of a song, you might be like, “What’s the big deal?” But it you sit down and put on some headphones and do nothing else but listen, your rewards will be great.

And while I often find myself talking about albums needing some fat trimmed off, I actually like that this is a double album. The style of music and the song structure that Dam-Funk is using necessitates longer songs, and you just can’t squeeze it onto one CD. I don’t know that I’m going to gush about the brilliance of the album like other critics have, but I do know that this is an album that gets more enjoyable the more you listen to it.