Day Is My Enemy

Refusing to grow old gracefully, veteran ravers the Prodigy offer a wobbly, angry album with their sixth studio effort The Day Is My Enemy, an LP that supports titles like "Nasty" and "Destroy" with stadium-sized beats and '90s chants, as if they were what the kids were clamoring for in 2015. Even if they weren't, Liam Howlett and company have decided they need it, and collaborated in a way that makes this the most "band" Prodigy album in ages, something that benefits the twitchy disco number "Wild Frontier" and the aptly titled "Rhythm Bomb" with guest producer Flux Pavilion providing the rave sound of today. "Rok-Weiler" is a fashion-minded and fierce highlight that fits the band's catalog the same way the great "Paninaro" fit with the Pet Shop Boys, and as far as Howlett the musical innovator, there are plenty of new video game noises, wormholes of time, and tricky vocal edits that are razor-sharp. Add the way "Roadblox" provides the cinematic side of Prodigy that's often overlooked and the album seems a triumph, but lead single "Nasty" is a lesser "Firestarter" and at 14 cuts, this chunky effort is built for returning fan club members and not the EP-craving EDM crowd. ~ David Jeffries