DEADMAU5

4×4=12

[Ultra]

Canadian electro producer Deadmau5 (pronounced “deadmouse”) has appeared at the 2010 Winter Olympics, won a slew of electronic music awards and spun on national TV during the MTV Video Music Awards, but he demonstrates on his new album that building laptop beats and wearing a surreal costume on stage does not make one Daft Punk. His third album is a wide-ranging collection of dance tracks, with pumping rhythm on “Some Chords,” a hypnotic beat on “Animal Rights” and shuddering synthesizers on the dubstep-flavored “Raise Your Weapon” and “One Trick Pony.” Sofia “Miss Sofi” Toufa adds sneering vocals to “Sofi Needs a Ladder,” and Greta Svabo Bech lends her soft voice to “Raise Your Weapon.” Their contributions help stave off a creeping sameness on the instrumental tracks that sometimes crosses from mesmerizing to monotonous. This is a collection of solid club-ready dance tracks, if not altogether a cohesive, essential electronica album. –ED