Kan Wakan – Moving On

The free-wheeling debut from this LA-based trio is a winning concoction of dreamy atmospherics, bubbling grooves and orchestral arrangements. It’s a toss-up as to what will grab you first – the sweeping, sumptuous arrangements or Filipino vocalist Kristianne Batista’s voice, a grainy burr and the centrepiece of this likeable album. Cynics might balk at their beats-driven MO but Moving On has songs aplenty – less the beach pop of Morcheeba, more the cool playfulness of Poliça.

It's easy listening but always with a twist. Like I Need You marries keys and horns to a Stax beat. The instrumental break in Are We Saying Goodbye, an unexpected and unsettling chord sequence, is one of many passages where Kan Wakan stretch and strive. Just when you think you’ve nailed Moving On as sweet aural wallpaper, it gets properly weird on you, and all to the good; epic two part closer Midnight Moon heads off to somewhere unexpectedly out there. An intriguing start, all told.