Follow-up albums are difficult. They’re especially challenging when your debut attains critical success, as the Lawrence brothers received with Disclosure’s masterful premiere in 2013. Settle not only hit the top of the charts and critical reviews, it reinvigorated a genre in desperate need of a face-lift. House music was toiling away in uninspired dreariness, as dubstep took a prominent role in asserting the same builds and drops we all came to expect and detest. Settle was divisive in not only modernizing the UKG two-step sound of ’90s English house, but coating it with enough polish and features to move the genre forward, into a realm of pop R&B psychosis melded to impeccable hip-shaking production. One might come to expect a lot from the duo’s latest release Caracal, but with the blazing trail left behind by Settle, it’s easy to see how Disclosure might trip up. Caracal is by no means a failure, but rarely do we see lightning strike twice in the same spot.
The months preceding Caracal’s release saw heavy promotion of the project, framed in a manner that hinted at a new direction for Disclosure. A continuity of music video releases suggested that maybe Disclosure was going for a narrative route with their sophomore album. Which is a safe choice; both brothers proved themselves as producers, so why not go for something a little more substantive? Well, listening through Caracal yields little in terms of thematic material, which tilts the weight of Caracal’s demeanor back to the artists’ abilities.
It’s no surprise that Disclosure snagged a few more high-profile performers this time around, but these mainstream additives leave mixed impressions. Opener “Nocturnal” feels like another bland contribution to The Weeknd’s seemingly endless catalog as of late, and Lorde’s “Magnets” is a bit of a yawn when the chorus isn’t clopping along to her sugary singing. Sam Smith also makes a return, after his feature on Settle’s monumental “Latch.” Unfortunately, “Omen” doesn’t instate the same seductive trance that we felt from his original appearance. Disclosure’s role seems a bit subdued in these instances, whereas features on Settle worked in tandem with the hyperactive style the duo brought to the table.
Fortunately, Disclosure hasn’t lost all their fire, whipping up several bangers that I’m displeased to label as “classic Disclosure” already. The lead single, “Holding On,” is the obvious front-runner of the album; Gregory Porter’s smooth vocals glide atop the most danceable beat on the record, with his sample-like “Shake it” breaks adding to the staple Disclosure sound. Nao’s fiery vocals light up “Superego,” a fitting spiritual successor to AlunaGeorge’s electric performance on Settle’s “White Noise.” If anything, Caracal proves that big names aren’t going to make things better by default.
Perhaps the biggest flaw comes from a lack of ingenuity in song structure. Disclosure’s influence following their debut may have exceeded their expectations, and now the unique sounds of Disclosure in 2013 may not be so distinct in 2015. Rather than pushing the genre even further, Disclosure seems to be content with what they’ve accomplished, which may have led to some of Caracal’slargest faults. It’s no easy feat to challenge a genre that you’ve already given inspiration to, but Disclosure actually seems to recede to a place that was problematic with the genre before they landed on the scene. Most of the songs on Caracal follow the same basic structure: slow verse-building, grand choruses, rinse and repeat. Song after song feels like a copy and paste of song structure, with a different pop singer at the helm of each. It’s a sad sight compared to some of the more unique songs on Settle—tracks like “When a Fire Starts to Burn” build off of a catchy motivational speaker sample before culminating in a chaotic synth-induced dance frenzy.
Disclosure had a tall mountain to climb for their second release, and the switch from R&B dance fest to Pop-hit slow jams was not the most inventive maneuver from a duo who gave us so much promise initially. Maybe Caracal is a product of Disclosure’s swift welcome into the mainstream, or maybe it’s a lack of creative direction for the artists. Whatever it is, we already know the Lawrence brothers have it in them to make a superb dance record, so let’s just keep holding on until they get their act back together.
Grade: B-
