Future Will Come

The Juan MacLean, the solo project of former Six Finger Satellite guitarist John MacLean, is one of the more overlooked entries in DFA Records' post-millennial retro-futurist hit parade. While the group's angular, synth-and-vocoder-fueled electro-house is every bit as pulse-raising and ebullient as that of label mates LCD Soundsystem and Hercules and Love Affair, their oft-channeled aloofness and chilly post-human aesthetics could at times put off all but the most hardened Kraftwerk fans. The group's sophomore release, The Future Will Come, takes a more user-friendly approach, injecting warmth and buoyancy into the typical machine music tropes of house and techno. Augmented by the addition of LCD Soundsystem's Nancy Whang on vocals, the group hit their stride on the anthemic "Happy House," a bouncing, piano-driven floor slayer that is as joyous as the title; while "The Simple Life" rides a Moroder-styled synth arpeggio as Whang's siren-like choruses trade off with MacLean's detached, conversational verses--recalling the sullen dynamic of the Human League's Phil Oakley and Susan Sulley on their synth pop classic "Don't You Want Me?" ~ Dave Shim