Welcome to the world of Belfast artist Ciaran McDonald. This Bear//Face record contains more than just a few casual beats. There’s some real methodology here. Consider the almost teasingly muffled R&B chorus opening of the exquisite “Taste My Sad” — that changes and becomes more crisp and clear as the song picks up and sheds a variety of rhythms. It’s a seduction. “G▲NGY” is much more downtempo, breathy and strange. There’s the sound of rolling waters in the background, a dog’s bark, echoed vocals, and what sounds like a sample of “Trouble Man” with the pitch altered. There’s an aquatic feel to it all. And it remains a song tempered for the nighttime, and yet still welcoming. Listen to the seven-song record at bandcamp. — David D. Robbins Jr.
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