hercules and love affair Ð 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 lets not forget yazoo), but sounding like no other dance record before Ð or since. and now theyve gone and done it again. the troupes second album blue songs represents the best that dance music can get Ð still bursting with freshness while in touch with its roots. as mainman andy butler says, >its 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