Even with the fresh avalanches of new music that hit us morning, noon and night, the joy of discovering someone is still as wonderful now as it was back in our tape-trading, compilation-making glory days. Cue C Duncan's arrival on the speakers in a Dublin shop last Thursday evening. Suddenly, everything else in the racks lost its shine as the second song on The Midnight Sun, Like You Do, worked its magic.
Hypnosis and transaction completed, the album was brought hurriedly home where it shone just as brightly start to finish - 43 golden minutes found in 2016.
The Glaswegian one-man band was Mercury-nominated for his 2015 debut Architect, and the follow-up deserves to go one better next year. Simply put, this is gorgeous electronic stuff that would add even more class to a tape featuring, say, The Cocteau Twins, Scritti Politti, Talk Talk and Love.
Whether the mood is divine or down-in-the-dumps, Duncan has the soundtrack and while his voice is put through all kinds of studio wizardry, no soul is lost along the way. Yours will feel the better afterwards.
Christmas is coming - a handful of people can be sorted on that shopping list with this record.
Harry Guerin
