Two years removed from their last album, Movements, Booka Shade’s back. Hopefully you’ll recognize them.

With fourteen new tracks on The Sun & The Neon Light, Arno and Walter have given themselves a good hour to reintroduce themselves to the House music audience of the world. Having listened to the album a few times now, I have to say it was time well-spent. With the massive success that the last album brought them (with winners like Body Language and Mandarine Girl), Booka Shade could have stayed with the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy, but then, they wouldn’t be Booka Shade. The opening track, “Outskirts,” kicks things off with a significant contribution by string instruments, but the beauty and emotion that you would be reminded of by an orchestral strings section isn’t lost even though this is electronic music. The duo has mentioned in interviews that they’re looking to push the definitions of genres and they’re not kidding. The blend of classic and fresh sets really sets the tone for the rest of the album. Next comes “Duke,” a beat-heavy track that Arno could potentially have a lot of fun with in live performances, followed by “Dusty Boots.” Think country-style guitar strumming mixed with funky euphonic synths. Hey, it works.

Insistent melodies highlight “Control Me,” which also features a major vocal component, “Solo City” continues with more vocals, a down-tempo pulse, and what sounds like rain in the urban background, and “Redemption,” another laidback track, has an almost dark and mysterious vibe to it. One of the high points of the album is definitely “Charlotte.” With a spoken introduction for Booka Shade, and one of the more memorable melodies, the rhythm really starts to pick up here – a very danceable number. Then comes the title track, “The Sun and The Neon Light,” which like the opening song, features some strings. It goes down a completely different road though; the vocals, synths and beats together produce a very tribal-like atmosphere. Booka Shade slows things down again with “Sweet Lies,” another track with a unique melody, which also contains some very melancholic vocals.

“Karma Car” is definitely one of the more addictive songs on the album; the infectious synths are there from the beginning and don’t stop until the end. It’s followed by “Psychameleon,” something mid-tempo and well, the melodies are nice, but right now I’ve still got Karma Car in my head. Next up is “Planetary,” a song with spacey synths that would fit in perfectly in an E.T. movie. Arno and Walter have named it well. “Comacabana” has an unrelenting beat, is a bit more minimalistic than some of the other tracks, and leads into the last song on the album: “You Don’t Know What You Mean To Me (J’s Lullaby)”, which, if it sounds a little soppy, is because it was written by Walter for his infant son. And it has everything a lullaby could ask for – a soothing melody shared by the vocals, piano, and synths, and even relaxed breathing sounds (which could be mistaken for peaceful waves). Putting this as the last song was a good idea; if it has done what it was expected to, you’ve fallen asleep at the perfect time.

All in all, Booka Shade’s third LP effort is impressive because it shows the group’s dedication to innovation, and while it has more lulls in the action than the more upbeat Movements, Arno and Walter have both expanded on their melodic focus and successfully experimented with new sounds. Welcome to the reinvention of Booka Shade.

The Sun and The Neon Light Tracklist:

01 Outskirts
02 Duke
03 Dusty Boots
04 Control Me
05 Solo City
06 Redemption
07 Charlotte
08 The Sun & The Neon Light
09 Sweet Lies
10 Karma Car (Album Version)
11 Psychameleon
12 Planetary
13 Comacabana
14 You Don’t Know What You Mean To Me (J’s Lullaby)