Plenty of DFA hallmarks are present and accounted for on the first album by Marcus Lambkin, the Irish dance producer who does business under the charming moniker Shit Robot. Like many of the label's acts, he's fond of slow-building arrangements that take off from simple, kinetic keyboard riffs and gradually shifting sonic focus. The great Nancy Whang, who sings all over LCD Soundsystem and the Juan MacLean's albums, makes a welcome appearance on "Take 'Em Up." (LCD's James Murphy and Juan MacLean himself make appearances also.) But Shit Robot stands out by being so committed to old-fashioned bleep. You know the kind — super-affordable keyboards, early '80s electro, plink with weird decay rates. He likes to put those tones right up front, to bask in them, and that kind of fearless intimacy with something that might be uncool is another DFA hallmark. From the Cradle to the Rave is about equal parts more-or-less trad songwriting (Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip guests on "Losing My Patience" and Ian Svenonious appears on "Simple Things") and jamming (or arranging) out a groove: "I Found Love" moves through a few iterations of a basic house groove without losing the feel. At its best, it's… read more »