Cash Cash - Blood, Sweat & 3 Years

Cash Cash
Blood, Sweat & 3 Years
2016
Spotify

Here is the deal: Cash Cash are not going to change the musical world, or invent a new genre. Their music will not convert all the indie kids over to House or EDM heads, but god damn if their music is not a hell of a lot of fun. Sometimes EDM artists can get so mired in their own ego that they forget who the real crowd is, what the entire point of being a DJ is and that is to make people move. There really is not a single song on this record not intentioned to get your ass out on the dance floor. For EDM artists a single often seems like a road to far, especially a good one, Cash Cash have managed to make Blood, Sweat & 3 Years feel vibrant and fresh for most of the massive 16 tracks. Unexpectedly Cash Cash have made this album not to flow like a set, but rather to be a conglomeration of everything they have done in the past three years even burying their biggest hit at track 14. On "Millionaire" a collaboration with Nelly and Digital Farm Animals is weird and complex even making Nelly sound totally fresh despite occasionally nodding to his hits ("hey! must be the money!"). But it isn't just about "hey remember that?" instead the song slips and slides into an almost wavey quality despite it's tropical base. What Cash Cash really have going for them is a sense of freedom, you can tell that these features weren't pushed on them, but were rather based on what the song needed and that really really works.

The trope of female singer over EDM beat is ever present on the record. With that comes the "let's take the night back" lyrics which at this point is so incredibly played yet doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Lyrically this record is pedestrian at best which when sitting listening alone is so very grating, but this music is meant to fill up a Vegas nightclub, not me sitting alone in my office. "The Gun" is perhaps the single worst song on the record. Not only does it not make sense on it's own, but in the context of the album it feels out of place, dated and just all out wrong. If we are being honest 16 tracks probably could have been edited to give the record a better pace and flow. What I really like though is the fact that Cash Cash just will not color in the lines. They know big room  EDM is their bread and butter, but the make a song like "Turn" featuring Little Daylight that is just a nice sweet little electronic pop song. "Escarole" is the first song we get without real lyrics or a singer and it gets totally electronic darkness. This is the song you want coming on at 3 am just as things are about to take a turn for the dark. The inclusion of Goo Goo Dolls front man on "Lightning" is an interesting choice and one that really pays off. Top to bottom Blood, Sweat & 3 Years is a real triumph for Cash Cash and an example for other EDM artists on how to break into the album making scene. DOn't miss this one, it's damn good.

8.0 out of 10