Babe – Volery Flighty (Moshi Moshi Records)

Having lent his striking falsetto to experimental pop maestros Frànçois And The Atlas Mountains, Gerard Black defies easy categorisation. So it’s no surprise that each song on his debut with Scottish-French project Babe boasts a kaleidoscopic mix of funk, shoegaze and cinematic sweeps.

Although the Cocteau Twins-like opener ‘Dot And Carry One’ (below) suggests the band is still trying to find its own sound, unexpected country flecked highlight ‘Bx Betweenwhiles’ shows off Black’s wistful vocals and melodic sensibility.

When the upbeat closer ‘Bronco’, combining jangle-pop with a reggae-tinged beat, arrives, it shows how infectious this band could be if such brimming eclecticism had more focus.

6/10

Words: James Evans

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Published on ClashMusic.com. Article here.