Peek-A-Boo – James Howard (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

There is something beguiling and slightly melancholy about this debut album from James Howard. Not necessarily sad, in the conventional sense, and certainly not wallowing in any attempt at self-pity, but music haunted by a sense of its own past, which feels like a small view of a much bigger, perhaps darker, story. That the album is a collection of vignettes, small sonic biographies on people’s lives, explains a lot, and that the title itself might also be seen as a voyeuristic declaration of intent, is perhaps also a foreshadowing of sound and subject.

And musically, it is wonderful. A dream-state waltz across an empty dancefloor, along empty streets and through empty lives, something inherently late-night sounding created through the use of spacious and chiming notes, lush atmospheres and chamber-pop styles, a balance of forward-thinking musical creations and timeless and nostalgic vibes.

It is music built as much from the then as it is the now, as much of space as creation, of rich heritages and new approaches, of freshness as much as familiarity. The fact that I have no idea where this fits into the musical landscape, and I do this for a living, I’ll have you know, is everything you need to know about just how unique, breathtakingly different, not to mention truly beautiful this is.