These days, dance music is showing up in some unexpected places. The title of Glaswegian group Belle and Sebastian's splendid new record Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance (Matador) should have been a clue as to the direction they've taken. Belle and Sebastian are no strangers to danceable pop, but many songs on Girls in Peacetime are downright clubby. The exhilarating electro of "Enter Sylvia Plath" deserves to be a tea dance standard. "The Party Line" is a sexy, throbbing number sure to set booties to bumping and hips to shaking "to the beat of the party line." The seven-and-a-half minute "Play for Today" and the funky, flirty "Perfect Couples" also enchant.
Don't be put off by its name, because Night Terrors of 1927 is a riveting live act. The mixed gender band led by the unlikely pairing of Jarrod Gorbel (of emo act Honorary Title) and Blake Sennett (of hipster band Rilo Kiley) makes unexpectedly dancey music on its debut album Everything's Coming Up Roses (Atlantic). The funky rock of "When You Were Mine" (featuring Tegan and Sara) and "Running in Place" are custom-made for loft dance parties swarming with urban pioneers. Gorbel's emo vocals work well within the dance framework.
Joywave is an exciting band to catch in concert. The electronic dance band is fronted by Daniel Armbruster, whose hipster-nerd appearance belies the electro genius within. The question in Joywave's debut album's title How Do You Feel Now? (Hollywood/Cultco) is easy to answer after the first listen. Elated, mesmerized and addicted are three words that come to mind. Dance-floor delights "Carry Me," "Tongues" (featuring Kopps), and "Feels Like a Lie" deliver swells of ecstasy.
Big Data, aka Alan Wilkis, has lots of cool friends and calls on them on his debut album 2.0 (WB/Wilcassettes/Crush). Guest artists are heard on the songs they co-wrote with Wilkis. Joywave makes an appearance on "Dangerous," co-written by Armbruster. Other collaborations include "Clean" with Jamie Lidell, "The Business of Emotion" with White Sea, "Get Some Freedom" with Dragonette, and "Sick for Me" with Bear Hands.
Faceless corporate prog-rock confection Imagine Dragons (starting with that name!) incorporated electronic and dance elements into the songs on its 2012 debut breakthrough Night Visions . On the follow-up, Smoke + Mirrors (Kid in a Korner/Interscope), ID wastes no time in hitting the dance-floor on the appealing opener "Shots." "Gold" makes interesting use of samples and rhythms. "I'm So Sorry" has a stomp worthy of vintage Billy Squier, while "I Bet My Life" imagines Mumford & Sons as a clubbier act. "Friction" warms up the strip-club-grind vibe.