Song of the Day | Cassius ft. Cat Power & Mike D - "Action"

"Action", the new track from Cassius, comes with the promise of upcoming new material from the pioneering French production duo, as well as the excitement of featuring both Cat Power and one third of The Beastie Boys. The B boy in question, Mike D, has said that this new song felt to him like a lost Compass Point recording that you would’ve heard at The Loft in early 80s NYC, and in true fashion the highlight of the song is the production. It captures the feel of something that would’ve come out of the Bahamas based studio in the late 70s or early 80s.

Chan Marshall is at her sultriest since The Greatest and it plays perfectly with the duo’s signature blend of disco, house and afrobeat, although can we call a moratorium on calling anything with a sampled shaker and clave in it afrobeat?

The only unfortunate downside to the track is Mike D’s underwhelming scream rap "hook" that makes up the song’s chorus and intro. In this context it feels like he’s been sampled in from the Judgment Night soundtrack. The promise of more to come from Cassius is always an intriguing thing but this call to "Action" may turn some off when it comes time to search out whatever that turns out to be.