When you're as popular as James Ford is these days, it's hard to find time for the 9-5. Ford's production work has overshadowed Simian Mobile Disco, his 'day job' with fellow remixer/producer Jas Shaw in recent times, but that's what you get for working with some of the best young bands of the past five years (Arctic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine, Mystery Jets). 'Temporary Pleasure' is a further exploration of the border between indie and dance that the duo initially trod on their 2007 debut 'Attack Decay Sustain Release' - except this time, they've roped in a bevy of more impressive guest vocalists.
Gruff Rhys provides one of the album's highlights with the warm '70s psych of 'Cream Dream', a song that wouldn't sound amiss on a Neon Neon album. Elsewhere, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip's strangely androgynous warble slots nicely into 'Bad Blood', while Telepathe add a minimalist tribal boom on the brilliant 'Pinball', its disconcerting layered vocals attacking from all angles.
But there are disappointments, too. Beth Ditto's airy inflections are technically faultless but have nowhere to go on 'Cruel Intentions', while soul maestro Jamie Lidell's tremendous voice is stunted and underused on spacey club number 'Off the Map'. And that seems to be the main problem with Simian Mobile Disco; their repetitive 'hooks and loops' technique has become something of a trademark, but it leaves little room for development of their songs. Occasionally brilliant, but mostly just fine.
