ALBUMS / BALEARIC/DOWNTEMPO / LEFTFIELD
For his first album Laucan makes use of a talent for falsetto singing that he honed in his attic. That sense of dusty intimacy comes across in the songs he writes, which could have been written while wistfully looking out of the window. That said there is a lot of vocal and lyrical creativity here, as well as very effective use of the cello in songs like ‘Symptom’, where the instrument is brought to the front. There are attractive, reverberant textures bringing songs like the shuffling ‘Miss Mistiness’ out into the open air, while the dreamy ‘Up Tomorrow’ also leaves its understated mark. As the cover indicates Laucan is a colourful singer-songwriter, taking in a nice blend of Anglo-American influences and putting his own vocal spin on them. Give it a few listens and you’ll hear what an after-hours treat it can be.
Ben Hogwood
4 out of 5
