Hercules and Love Affair � the name itself combines images of strength and vulnerability, masculinity and femininity, as well as a classic disco troupe. Their music on their self-titled album debut followed suit. Strident beats but sweetness at the core. Music with a plan of attack but an identity as fluid as that of its creators. A gloriously burnished fusion of three decades of dance, from disco to house, acid to synth-pop, Derrick May to Giorgio Moroder (and let�s not forget Yazoo), but sounding like no other dance record before � or since. And now they�ve gone and done it again. The troupe�s second album Blue Songs represents the best that dance music can get � still bursting with freshness while in touch with its roots. As mainman Andy Butler says, �It�s a softer record in some ways, and at other moments a more aggressive record too.� The album also reveals more about his world and his songwriting, resulting in a more honest, and yet more universal, record.