Douglas Armour

Not quite drum'n'bass and not quite mainstream pop, Douglas Armour offers up a rather polished, slick opener -- "Not An(other) Unlove Song" could be a song that Justin Timberlake might take a stab at. It's an interesting, quasi-"boy band" offering but has enough punch to come out on top. Fortunately, though, the artist strikes a gold mine with the far better and danceable "Fall Apart Again," which could be a love child of the Bee Gees and Baby Dayliner. Here Armour utters a few falsetto notes throughout to great effect. A lot of the material is quirky but stellar, especially the breezy, airy "Towards the Light," which sounds like it came from the songbook of XTC or David Byrne. And Armour ups the ante greatly with the electro-dance feel oozing from "Trembling, on the Verge," bringing to mind the likes of Depeche Mode. He returns to this happy, cheery groove on "Prince of Wands," a track that would fit on any album by British band the Delays. The versatility of the artist is never questioned, as he is able to sway from one musical genre or vibe to the next with the greatest of ease, judging by how quickly he pulls off the slow but uplifting power ballad "Flushed and Flamelike Themselves." Another asset here is the album's timeless quality, with the smart pop of "The Whole World" evoking images of Tears for Fears in their '80s heyday. Perhaps the only song where the musician bites off a bit more than he can chew is the soulful and melancholic but somewhat forced "As Bright as the Stars." ~ Jason MacNeil, All Music Guide