Major Lazer - Peace is the Mission

Major Lazer
Peace is the Mission
2015

It has been sometime since Major Lazer have done something that was right in their wheelhouse. From collaborations with Vampire Weekend and other more Indie artists Major Lazer got away from their prescribed mission, making fun energetic pop music. Where Jack U is Diplo's place for aggressive powerful and drop heavy EDM Major Lazer is more focused on the brighter side of pop, sweet voiced ladies singing over consistent EDM beats. Their are actually ballads here "Powerful" actually has a really nice message along with it's auto tuned percussion. Don't get confused though this album is not supposed to make you re-evaluate your life or think about the ills of the world, it is just supposed to make you move. That being the aim Peace is the Mission is totally successful. "Lean On" and "Be Together" both have all the bones to be bonafide dance floor hits. As almost anything Diplo does these days there is a cavalcade of stars on this record including: Travi$ Scott, 2Chains, Ariana Grande, Elle Goulding and Pusha T. The featured stars never really add any special magic to the songs though and are there more for their name then their actually singing ability.

There seems to be a fascination with Reggae on this album with many of the tracks ("Powerful", "Blaze Up The Fire", "Light it Up") all featuring influences from the Islands. It adds a dance hall quality that grounds the album in the past while still pushing EDM to the forefront. "Roll the Bass" is the all out EDM track here yet it still has a bit of that Reggae vibe, just with builds and drops peppered in. It is not one of the better tracks on the record but also not the worst, just pretty middle of the road. That is the thing about Peace is the Mission, the highs are quite high but rare and the lows just tend to bring the album to the middle of the road. "Night Riders" in particular is one of the weakest tracks, featuring rappers putting down some pretty weak verses under a boisterous beat that makes them all the more mediocre. In the end we find a record that is just ok, not mind blowing not terrible but with a few hits that you will not be able to avoid this summer.

6 out ot 10