Double U - Pineapple Dream

 

With ‘dream pop’ being a legitimate category on your iPod these days, Franck Rabeyrolles’ alter ego Double U will provide a perfect soundtrack next time you find yourself lying in the park staring idly at the clouds. Not that Pineapple Dream is likely to pass you over in a haze, as it’s far too involved with the ‘pop’ part of its make-up to become forgettable. Rabeyrolles’ voice perfectly complements the soft compositions that span chamber pop, spacey lounge jazz and – on highlight Sweet Family – a spine-tingling, funeral-paced waltz underpinned with a hint of Velvet Underground menace. It’s also an album that fairly whizzes by, despite its theme and pace, and although you may be tempted to label it light on a cursory first listen, like the best fairytales, Pineapple Dream has a darkness and palpable nostalgia which ensures it a definite edge. [Darren Carle]