Miaoux Miaoux – Light of the North

Perhaps the most satisfying thing about Julian Corrie AKA Miaoux Miaoux's hotly-anticipated Chemikal Underground debut is the timelessness of his hook-filled, uber-melodic approach to pop music. Wherever his tracks start out – whether it's the feedback-buzz that precedes opener Sweep Clean, the minimal prog-house that begins Hey Sound, or the melancholy electro intro of Singing in The Dark – they always end up in a reassuringly familiar place.

Although Corrie rarely strays too far from simple, verse-chorus-verse structures here, his assured, confident songwriting and measured alto-tenor anchor the songs firmly in the realm of pop music; yet his arrangements and instrumentation owe as much to the building, layered atmospherics of house and electro as they do to traditional pop.

The less experimental songs such as Ribbon Falls lack a little punch, but when Miaoux Miaoux allows his electronic muse to fully shine through, such as on Cloud Computer and the excellent Hey Sound, the results are exhilarating. His collaboration with Profisee on Virtua Fighter is a laidback Summer anthem in waiting, while the infectious claps and bass wobble of Autopilot add a fresh and original touch to this compelling next step.