Mickey Moonlight: And The Time Axis Manipulation Corporation

This album is branded as the score for your favorite college parties. While EDM pitches are seldom more generic, Moonlight's debut fits the description quite well. The record won't replace your Top 40 Pandora stations or your dubstep playlists, but it's perfect for brewing coffee in your skivvies and headphones while rummaging for Advil the next morning. You'll remember your face going numb and then dancing to the detached house thumper "Close to Everything." You'll recall refilling your Solo Cup for a marijuana minute during the Tangerine Dream-esque "Diamonds in the Mind of Talula." And the slow-motion synth flourishes and pitter-patter percussion of "Changalaxy" will recall when, yes, an impromptu threesome was happening on your friend's parent's bed. There's a small army of guests, including George Lewis Jr., Tahita Bulmer, and Deborah Howell, but their particular roles aren't specified for good reason. Time Axis is Moonlight's singular vision wherein he's blurring analog, digital, and a bevy of campy genres. Even this approach is not new in the age of Caribou, Destroyer, and Animal Collective, but Moonlight's debut is still an accomplished work that doesn't overplay its quirky, detached, holographic hand.

★★★★ (out of 5 stars)