The British electronic four-piece
Clean Bandit
mash classical music and pop forms for an airy and dreamy yet driven sound that's like the chamber music version of house music. It's a sound best experienced on "Mozart's House," a well-built number that opens the group debut effort
New Eyes
with some tasteful, ultra-sheen beats and some clever rapping ("Little touch up, pizzicato/Relax the tempo, sip some rubato/And if I get too animated/Tan my face with adagietto"), and all while the world of cheese is kept at arm's length. Myriad vocalists including
Jess Glynne
,
Love Ssega
Lizzo
, and
Rae Morris
help broaden the horizon and sound, and when sliced into two EPs, the micro-house and
Mozart
quotes feel wonderful together, losing none of their freshness. The good news is this special group wasn't corporately coerced into something ridiculous, but even with the mash-up "gimmick,"
remains a small, subtle, and soft record. ~ David Jeffries