Album Review: Camo & Krooked – Zeitgeist

On Monday, Austrian drum and bass duo Camo & Krooked released their fourth full-length album, Zeitgeist, on UK dance label Hospital Records. They describe the fresh new sounds from the album as “Camo & Krooked 2.0”, and one listen through the 15 track LP will definitely prove it. Old-school disco fused with energetic DnB and a few carefully placed dubstep movements allows users to enjoy a signature C&K feeling with a new twist. The best part about the whole thing? Each track blends perfectly into the next, making the album-listening experience just that: a true experience from start to finish.

One can’t help but compare this release to this year’s Daft Punk mega-release, Random Access Memories, in the way it borrows from disco and flows together as one work. But Zeitgeist doesn’t show any signs of getting old or overplayed – each listen sounds fresher and more colorful than the previous one. Highlights include the opening track, “Turn Back the Time”, with a dreamy riff and introductory drum beats that initiates the musical journey in a sort of rock-and-roll way, as well as the beautiful piano piece at the end of “Faith”, and the unique “Journey Through Sound”, which moves the album along as an interlude.

The duo had given fans a preview of some of the album’s catchiest tracks earlier in the year with singles like the minimalist, sing-along worthy “All Night”, as well as “Move Around”, featuring vocals by jazz singer Ian Shaw. Although the singles kick off the album with a bang, the rest of it only continues to go deeper, mixing more various styles borrowed from both old and new musical genres. Just imagining how great “Loving You Is Easy” would sound on the floor could make one want to get up and start dancing.

To sum it up, in a recent interview, the guys explained the name: “We called this album Zeitgeist because it takes a lot of influences from the spirit of music a few decades ago and we’re combining it with our present sound.” If you’re tired of singles, and bangers that only sound good the first time you hear them, look no further than Zeitgeist. This album has staying power, and hopefully, you’ll be able to hear some of it live in the future. For now, Camo & Krooked are promoting the album on a winter European tour.

Zeitgeist is available for purchase from Hospital Records and iTunes. You can stream clips from each track of the album below.