Edwige Hamben
Brothers Howard (left) and Guy Lawrence have again teamed up with Sam Smith.
The way it looks now, Disclosure may have to reckon with their hit “Latch” for the rest of their career. Despite its long odds — a house music-inflected dance track created by a pair of teenage British brothers and sung by their sad, lonely mate — the single went to No. 7 on the Hot 100 and reached No. 11 in their native U.K.
The challenge of overcoming the unlikely and delayed commercial success of “Latch” and debut album Settle — which came out in 2013, but didn’t chart until 2014 — is all over Caracal, Disclosure’s sophomore album, which was released on Sept. 25. Critics are saying the group has gone more “pop” — whatever that means in 2015 — and that Caracal doesn’t boast a song as indelible as “Latch.”
That is probably true, but it doesn’t mean it’s time to despair. You can judge for yourself when Howard and Guy Lawrence bust out their new material at their Oct. 14 show at the Orpheum Theater. Caracal might be a little overloaded, but it has some jams that should get you up and dancing when heard live. Here are six of them:
“Omen” feat. Sam Smith
One could argue that singer Sam Smith, now a multi-Grammy winner, benefited more from “Latch” than Disclosure did. “Omen” is an obvious attempt to replicate “Latch,” but is that ultimately a bad thing? No one actually ever got sick of hearing that song; it just stopped being a track anyone chose to buy or play on the radio. “Omen” is a wilting, sensitive song that somehow works as a dance floor anthem.
“Moving Mountains” feat. Brendan Reilly
Reminiscent of the duo’s work on Mary J. Blige’s The London Sessions, this R&B-tinged ballad is a bonus track on Caracal, but it should have been part of the main event. It’s overwrought, melodramatic and perfect.
“Magnets” feat. Lorde
When this collaboration was announced, it was intriguing to imagine Disclosure turning Lorde into a dancing queen, but the result is an expansive and sonically adventurous Lorde song. This one will provide a luxurious comedown from the fist-pumping heights of the rest of Disclosure’s catalog.
“Good Intentions” feat. Miguel
The easiest gimme in recorded music in 2015 is putting Miguel on a track, so even an empty one with Miguel talking for three minutes would have been a guaranteed best track on Caracal. So, it’s a bonus that Miguel proves he’s ready for a career as a hook singer on any and all EDM opportunities available to him.
“Holding On” feat. Gregory Porter
This one is basically the sequel to Settle’s “When a Fire Starts to Burn,” with jazz singer Gregory Porter wailing and warbling over a Detroit house jam laid down by Disclosure. When the results are this jubilant, who cares if it feels like checking an item off the sophomore album checklist?
“Nocturnal” featuring the Weeknd
Disclosure couldn’t have picked a better time to squad up with the Weeknd: His summer album Beauty Behind the Madness has gone gold, and he has something like 400 songs on the Billboard charts right now (it’s actually three, but listen to 93.1 Jamz for two hours and you’ll swear it’s 400, too). “Nocturnal” finds the Weeknd stepping into Off the Wall-era disco, going glittery over Disclosure’s forever cresting synths; the song is practically a GIF of a sunshine over Ibiza observed while dancing on a beach. This is as good as Disclosure get on Caracal.
