Somewhere in my top 20 LPs of 2009 you'll be likely to find The Juan MacLean's nostalgic sophomore album The Future Will Come. I attempt to consume far too much music and it's already been quite the year, so my praise of the latest DFA full-length is certainly legit. John Maclean will be bringing those disco-drenched beats to Richards on Richards, doing his best to force the indie kids onto the dancefloor on Tuesday, June 9. This is your chance to win tickets to the show along with a copy of the new CD.

If everything I've said so far sounds like hipster gibberish, I recommend you check out the single Happy House. The track was one of the best things released in 2008 and ranks among the label's greatest moments. It finds an ideal home on the new album, and apparently spills to over 20 minutes when they break it out live these days; you better bring some good shoes and make sure you check the murse on Tuesday.

More on Juan, contest details, and the video for the latest single after the jump...

John Maclean began his professional musical career as the guitarist for the Rhode Island post-punk band Six Finger Satellite, a group which he was a member of until 2008 when James Murphy (of subsequent LCD Soundsystem fame) joined took over production duties. After the band's breakup Murphy went on to found his own record label in New York City and one of the first musicians he turned to for support was Maclean.

The Juan MacLean was responsible for one of first releases on the pioneering and wildly succesful DFA Records. LCD and labelmates basically took the sound of the rhythmic, danceable post-punk of the late 70s and 80s, seized the influence of 20+ years great house, electro, and experimental electronic music, and created perhaps the first new pop genre of the 21st century: dance-punk. While we can't credit the label for inventing the style (or blame them for the name), they are certainly the current epicenter of dance-punk world, and The Juan MacLean has proven the genre alive and well (albeit decidedly dancey) with The Future Will Come.

My first exposures to Juan were his contributions to the two seminal DFA compilations, serving up highlights on both. The debut album Less Than Human was perhaps the closest "dance-punk" had gotten to straight up house music, and was praised as sign of great things to come. While his work may never have been quite 'indie sounding' enough to rival the popularity of DFA peers The Rapture or LCD Soundsystem, he's also never produced work as consistant and cohesive as the latest album.

From the first minutes of the wonderful opener "The Simple Life," it's clear The Future Will Come is dance music first and foremost, and after Nancy Whang chimes in with her vocal (soon met by Maclean's), we know we're in major pop territory; it almost feels like the music !!! would have made had they been showing up on MTV playlists in the 80s. The style seems equally informed by new-wave, disco, electro, house, synth pop, punk rock and robotics... yet remains cohesive, contained, and something entirely unique. If anything it's simply well crafted, intelligent pop music. Intensely nostalgic but entirely fresh, this record is upbeat and experimental enough to stimulate my dance-centers, ironic and self-ware enough to fulfill artistically.

Below is the latest single, "One Day." I'm not completely sold on the video, the song does prove that Juan can play with the 80s cliche as compellingly as any modern producer or samey sentimental indie band.

While the synths may give you a whiff of retro cheese, the existential lyricism -- chronicling the disintegration of a relationship and delivered with deadpan sleaze by Nancy and John -- is far from typical pop territory. A favourite is the title track, delivered with Juan's trademark Euro-ESL-David Byrnian (or something) vocal stylings: "failing to finish is an occupation / your unfinished novel is a part of a sequence... the future will come for everyone / a liveable life is a pretense." Indeed.

The Contest
I've got two pairs of tickets and two CDs to give away. While The Juan MacLean's latest record falls patently on the dance side of things, he's still often lumped into the genre of dance-punk. For the contest, I'd like you to give me a new genre name of your own creation. You have two options: it could be a replacement term to better classify the work of The Juan MacLean, or you can just create any fake genre with a more ridiculous sounding label than 'dance-punk.' Not an easy task, I know. Post your ideas in the comment roll and the first and/or best responses (we'll see) will win tickets for Tuesday along with a free CD!

The Juan MacLean will play Richards on Richards with guest The Field (who has just released another of 2009's electronic highlights) Tuesday, June 9th.