Bleep

We all know that 'psychedelic' is a commonly over-used word in music, but the work of New Zealand producer Connan Mockasin fits the term better than many. He makes pop music, but pop music twisted into unusual shapes, bringing out shades, colours and textures in instruments and his voice that make for a distinctive and sensorily unique experience. His third album 'Caramel' - out on frequented outpost, Erol Alkan's Phantasy Sound and Because Music - was recorded over a month spent in a Tokyo hotel room, and it's an album brimming with wide-eyed wonder, a sense of innocence contrasting with hallucinatory, deconstruction. The title track lulls, fluttering haze swooning into the dream world of 'I'm The Man, That Will Find You'. 'Why Are You Crying?' is stranger, muted breathing noise combined with sleepily twanging guitar while final track 'I Wanna Roll With You' is a song of gentle yearning, peculiar but touching. A stunning album from a charismatic artist.