With its 50 seconds of aimless, echo-chamber wailing, at first it sounds like Duke Dumont's "The Giver" is going to be another one of those featherweight, dime-a-dozen UK house tracks. Until the vocal hits. A true gatecrasher, the kick drums charge forward with a bloodthirstiness bolstered by the chunky, electrified bassline. The only thing more addictive than the song's unforgettable hook (which is almost evil in its hookiness) is the way it glides with such grace, like labelmates Gingy + Bordello force-fed one too many anti-depressants. Even better is the careful manipulation, where the vocal unspools and winds back up around the beat. It's a pop song, but one with both backbone and instant gratification.
"No Money Blues" falls a bit to the wayside in comparison: though it has an almost equally sing-alongy vocal, the track's blinding synths feel cheap and borrowed off some throwaway L2S record. The throaty bass stabs give it a bit of heft and keep it from drifting too far into the heavens, but this one's really all about "The Giver."
Buy Duke Dumont - For Club Play Only Vol. 2 at
  
Tracklist: Duke Dumont - For Club Play Only Vol. 2
 A No Money Blues
B The Giver
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