Disclosure – Caracal – 2x LP Vinyl

Around the time Guy Lawrence (the older Disclosure sibling) was toddling about and before Howard Lawrence (the younger Disclosure sibling) was even conceived, many respected DJs and producers were playing unforgettable sets in underground clubs and warehouses and creating indelibly classic dance tracks. It took two decades and the Lawrence brothers skills as songwriters and producers to bring those soundswhich never made it out of the underground in the U.S.to the mainstream with their album Settle.

Disclosures second album, Caracal, makes those one-time underground sounds even more accessible. The groove-based house and bumping U.K. garage template of Settle is in place, but the songwriting on Caracal is sharply honed with Jimmy Napes (who penned Latch on Settle), co-writing the album. It doesnt hurt that Caracals collaborations are blinding: The Weeknd, Lorde, Miguel, Gregory Porter, Kwabs, Lion Babe, and, of course, Latch collaborator Sam Smith.

Caracals inherent pop appeal is in songs underscored by soul and R&B tones that are written with the collaborators in a traditional manner. These are later reimagined into the dancefloor-friendly Disclosure-shaped mold. Case in point: The Weeknds sincere delivery on the bottom-heavy Nocturnal. Porter similarly lends his jazz vocal, which starts with a Lion King-like howl, on the jittery yet smooth Holding On. Kwabs low and creamy rumble rolls over the beat spikes of Willing And Able, while Miguels input on Good Intentions is the slickest pop, and virtual unknown Jordan Rakei seduces on the garment-shedding, restrained number, Masterpiece. In contrast, Lion Babe goes saucy over the rounded beats and crafted melodies of Hourglass, and Lordes signature catch-in-throat voice teases and taunts on the hiccuped rhythms of Magnets. Easily the most anticipated track from Caracal, the Smith-sung Omen is not as much of an upbeat dance tune as Latch, but the lyrics have a memorably positive outlook. With even more glossy production than Settle, Caracal is high-quality Top 40 material.

A1 Nocturnal
A2 Omen
A3 Holding On
B1 Hourglass
B2 Willing & Able
B3 Magnets
B4 Jaded
C1 Good Intentions
C2 Superego
C3 Echoes
C4 Masterpiece
D1 Molecules
D2 Moving Mountains
D3 Afterthought