Dancehall
Major Lazer
Guns Don’t Kill People... Lazers Do
(Cooperative/Downtown)
***1/2
The story: Philadelphia’s Diplo and London’s Switch head to Mr. Marley’s Tuff Gong studios in an effort to legitimatize the dancefloor. What they find is a superhero — a soldier with a pretty major lazer instead of an arm and a bone to pick with stale dancehall reggae. With a long list of Jamaican vocal stars making guest appearances, Guns Don’t Kill People brings energy and authenticity to an at times artistically shaky scene. (I’m looking at you, Sean Paul.) The opener, “Hold the Line,” is something you’ve never heard before, but which you’ll want lots more of from now on: the wacky surf guitar intro and something that sounds like a horse trotting explode into a full-on dancefloor banger that will leave you reaching for a Red Stripe and vibrating like a Nokia. (Their words, not mine.) Diplo and Switch bring an unpredictable range of influences and an unmatched energy to this project... and the result is a pretty wild ride. Pick it up before the summer sun sets.
CURTIS WRIGHT
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