Not to alarm anyone, but there is something of a hole in the music scene here – although the aperture is in synthpop/nu-disco/inditronica/alternative dance, all genres with far too many hyphens and modifiers and, seriously, with so many backslashes, how could one take alarm at this? – and, while it appears relatively small and fresh for now, one is always concerned with figuring out what is going to plug said hole, as soon as possible (knowing as soon as possible, preferably before others, is of the utmost importance here). The wound is shaped something like a disco ball, or, more accurately, a somewhat roguishly-doughy looking gentleman with an unkempt knot of hair and a 5′o clock (a.m.) shadow, and it really does need to be dressed.

With the dissolution of LCD Soundsystem, one of those exceedingly rare job opportunities – in this case, popular face of semi-underground musical genre – opened up, and the disco ball-cum-James Murphy’s head shaped hole was almost immediately stepped in to by a myriad of acts, all worthy and unworthy in their own special way. To this long list, one cam most assuredly add Holy Ghost!, who have going for them the distinct advantage of working under Mr. Murphy’s aegis since their inception, as well as the possibly perfect sound needed to assume some kind of alt-dance mantle, if such a ludicrous thing exists; Holy Ghost! is in possession of, and demonstrates an adroit gift of manipulation for, that odd blend of 80′s synths, disco flourishes, and Cimmerian hedonism which dovetail’s nicely with LCD’s vibe.

They do not cary the gothic, raccoon eyed, teased feathered albatross of Black Marble, or the career weight of before Random Access Memories Daft Punk; the do have the je ne sais quoi - and one must imagine this was acquired, at least in part, by osmosis, from being around Murphy and the DFA milieu – that keeps glossier acts like Miami Horror or grimier groups like The Limousines from wearing the crown, and, let’s face it, they are just plain better known than Jessica 6. All of this is why, even if prematurely, Holy Ghost! may have ascended to the hyphens and modifiers and hep dance floors throne.

Whilst the label haters and open boxers and LCD partisans among you will seethe at that previous assessment, those of you who understand the importance of taxonomic classification for the accurate and worthy study, appraisal, and elucidation of popular music are surely more interested in what, if anything, on Dynamics, Holy Ghost!’s sophomore album, have garnered such punch pulling praise as to almost anoint them LCD’s scion. The sound is summed up rather nicely in the band’s choice of album cover art; see Robert Longo’s Strong in Love up there, that bestial Janus make out scene? It comes from the 80s, it has a nice edge of fang and fur, and it centres around the inherently pleasurable act of kissing; really, there could be no better analogy than that.

There are moments of introspection and profundity on Dynamics, in the post-punk style, and one can surely ruminate upon them, and upon the imagery of Strong in Love, and think, what does it mean? There is also–and more importantly–an overwhelming, animal urge to dance on Dynamics, to rather roundly fuck the deeper aspects, even as we swim merrily in them, and just groove around for Holy Ghost! as they see fit. This desire comes, as it so often does, from the rhythm section, of which Holy Ghost! has quite a live one, composed of bass lines with the corkscrewing fuzz and aesthetic bite of a mink and percussion which sometimes sounds like empty wine bottles rolling down the basement club’s stairs; add on top of that neon bubblegum minded synth lines, more than passable vocals, and a coating of disco glam, and you arrive at a sound that, at its best, falls somewhere comfortably between the neon noir of College and the seminal stylings of, well, LCD Soundsytem.

Opener ‘Okay’ is full of the fun, catchy hollow sounds so indicative of the 80s, as well as a synth line that wouldn’t sound out of place on a New Order record; ‘Dumb Disco Ideas’ is a meandering dance floor odyssey roughly the same duration as the high imparted by the cocaine rail one snorted during the previous track; the properly titled – for the purposes of this review – ‘Changing of the Guard’ is, while not Holy Ghost! grabbing the baton from Murphy and co., certainly indicative of why they should.

The slight deviations from this sound actually behoove Holy Ghost!; the brief introduction to ‘I Wanna Be Your Hand’ shows off a slightly neglected talent for lush, atmospheric compositions, while the frigid opening of ‘Must Be The Weather’ thaws into a down tempo leaner. The glittery churn and orchestral disco flourishes of ‘Bridge and Tunnel’ are a highlight, evoking tarantula eyelashes and Manhattan nights, back when those nights could be counted on not only to be bleeding edge, but to potentially end in an edge tasting blood, dangerous and sexy and fun.

Dynamics is, first and foremost, a dance album, and as such, it passes its most critical test with flying colors; at no point during its duration is one unburdened of the desire to dance. This ability, to demand movement in a style both in line with their DFA lineage and not too derivative of their DFA lineage, lies at the heart of Holy Ghost!’s appeal. “Dance a little closer,” they command. “Dance until it’s over.” And we will.