Review: Hercules and Love Affair - Sidetracked

I'm not going to lie, Hercules and Love Affair has a strange premise for their second release. Rather than cooking up a batch of fresh, original tunes, the New York based 'musical project' decided to simply throw down a mixtape.

Perhaps this isn't too weird for those more duly familiar with Hercules and Love Affair. Being a musical act that is comprised mainly of DJ Andy Butler and guest artists, I guess it is understandable that Sidetracked was made the way it was, but it doesn't excuse the fact that the Love Affair is a strange entity.

Why? For starters, this mix is completely packed with an eclectic mix of disco and house tunes that practically scream "hey, I have a cooler music collection than you, but I guess I'm willing to share." Also, one of the greatest things about this album is that it is a two CD release as well, with one CD containing the mix and the other with all the songs featured in their original states.

Other than that though, there really isn't a whole lot to say about the album. I mean, it is mixed really well, but if you aren't a production freak, then you probably won't care a whole lot about that. The song selection is fantastic, but all of it's all pretty obscure and it'd be hard to imagine a non-disco or house fan getting a kick out of any it. Sidetracked just seems to exist for the people that already enjoy Hercules and Love Affair's vibe and can are capable of bobbing their heads to more than just "Blind" or "You Belong."

So, I guess if you're into this sort of thing already, or you like listening to DJ sets in general, you should go ahead and snag yourself a copy, but otherwise you'd better stick to the Love Affair's debut if you are looking to get acquainted with them and hold out for their next release that Butler claims will involve "a whole handful of new artists."