Major Lazer – Peace Is The Mission

Self-professed ‘culture mash-up’ and dancehall-dork Diplo side-project Major Lazer broadcast their third LP Peace Is The Mission, a now-trademark collab-a-thon blending ragga, weird samples, and tonnes of guests. We’re talking hip-hop (2 Chainz, Pusha T) alongside pop (Ellie Goulding) and alt-pop (MØ, Elliphant, Wild Belle). Eclectic to some, contrived and chart-baiting to others.

The kinetic, ridiculous squeak of Roll The Bass, or Too Original’s infectious pop-dancehall bounce, are a far cry from Free the Universe’s space-reggae ballad Get Free, but PITM is a hurried record: at a mere half hour, there’s only time to skank. Which means, when it sags (the ponderous Goulding anthem Powerful, the autotuned Night Riders), it counts badly against such snappy hits as the videogames-meets-rasta-R’n’B banger Light It Up.

PITM will either press your buttons, like the smartly curated disco nonsense that it is, or it’ll mash your keyboard like an uninvited cat, a distractible pop-culture vehicle with too much going on. [George Sully]