Jacques, a Robin – Statuettes

The seven pieces of brooding chamber-pop that comprise Davide Ariasso’s debut as Jacques, a Robin are all self-contained melancholy vignettes, drawing equally upon mythical and personal themes. Raised in Italy, Ariasso was lured to England by a love of Robert Wyatt and Syd Barrett, although the haunting eccentricity of those artists is conspicuously absent from Statuettes. A closer reference point is Antony Hegarty, whose quavering vocal style is echoed on songs like Butterfly on the Wall.

The lustrous arrangements here include guitar, violin, cello, french horn, clarinet and flute; these are generally deployed sparingly, although the climactic points occasionally recall the melodrama of Tindersticks or Nick Cave. Such moments are set against restrained, jazzy passages (see Josephine and the Lantern), which make Statuettes less emotive than such forebears. Although the record can have a meandering quality as a result, the ornate and delicate arrangements create an atmosphere of languid beauty. [Sam Wiseman]