Album Review: Swedish House Mafia - Until Now

The global dancefloor felt a collective thump when news hit of Swedish House Mafia's demise after this, their second full-length album, Until Now. With DJ producers Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Angello each heading up labels and decks of their own, it was only a matter of time before the trio called it an indefinite day, but it's fair to say the dance community wasn't quite ready to say goodbye, particularly following 2010's worldwide smash, Until One.

Where Until One excelled was in capturing the all-encompassing mix of feel-good dancefloor anthems alongside interestingly twisted and thoughtful house dynamos that had some cool things buried a bit deeper beneath the surface than your average release from the genre. Until Now follows hard on its heels in treating listeners with an array of dramatically futuristic soundscapes and mega-hit pop remixes. Of the former, opener, Greyhound, sets a clean and crisp standard of pulsing beats that carries on through tracks like Here We Go. It's the buzzing electro vibe and unrelenting pace that make these tracks stayers, and indeed what guaranteed the trio of Swedes an undeniable launch pad to ultimate DJ stardom, but there's also much to hook into here from those who lean less towards the dancefloor. Inherent in everything is an organic approach to crafting, plain and simply, ripping tracks to get one's self moving.

The list of guest vocalists and remixes is really quite staggering: Coldplay, Miike Snow, Steve Aoki, Pendulum, Usher, The Temper Trap, Florence and The Machine and serial guest TinieTempah. There are bucketloads on offer but the texturally epic and aurally pleasing highlight is Raise Your Head with Alesso.