L. Pierre* - Touchpool

Former Arab Strap member Aidan Moffet resumes his Lucky Pierre guise for TOUCHPOOL, helping the Melodic label live up to its name. “Crush” smothers the atmosphere in melancholy strings and static crackle, melding the modern and classical in what will be a recurring theme on the album. “Baby Breeze” blows in on a shoegazing string-laden cloud, while “Velbon” takes loops a Beethoven sonata. But Moffat also draws from a wide range of influences: the spirit of Ennio Morricone emerges for a showdown at sunset on “Rotspots from the Crap Map,” while “Jim Dodge Dines at the Penguin Café” ventures even further into country-western territory. “Fan-Dance” leaves the continent entirely and becomes a beguiling backdrop for one of Scherazade’s stories. “Total Horizontal” ends the album on a mellow note, reminiscent of the Lemon Jelly track “His Majesty King Raam,” but with a bucolic flavor all of its own.