Hercules & Love Affair: Thud on the dance floor

Hercules & Love Affair records have always been emotional affairs. From their debut track the Sylvester-style anthem Blind it was obvious that Andy Butler keenly understood the mix of deep sorrow and pure delight of disco.

Omnion,the collective's fourth album is a meditation on survival, hope and the beauty to be found in humanity and on the dance floor. The uplifting Rejoice exemplifies this message, with Rouge Mary tempting the listener out into the night – "Did you have your lot today of guilt and sorrow?" – as the horns turn to sirens and the gospel tinged vocals celebrate life.

It's an album that turns The Horrors' Faris Badwan into a Marc Almond-esque vamp on the 1980s thumper Controller and wears its heart on its sleeve on the touching Epilogue. It's a warm, infectious journey, which like all the best disco albums transforms the club into the church and the dance floor the confessional burst wide open to receive forgiveness and the communion of joy.