Album Review: Hi-Fi Sean & David McAlmont - "Happy Ending"

 

I was pleased to discover last year that Hi-Fi Sean (aka former High Fidelity and Soup Dragons frontman Sean Dickson) and David McAlmont have been collaborating on an album - given the pedigree of the guys involved (McAlmont's peerless voice and Dickson's record for supremely tuneful experimentation with the very underrated High Fidelity), it seemed as if this really had the potential to be something special.

The seven minute opening title track eases you gently into the album - a dreamy slice of string-drenched soul with McAlmont's voice soaring over the top. Fever is similarly chilled with its rolling rhythm while recent single Beautiful sees McAlmost really cutting loose over some almost trip-hop drums and Bollywood strings (those with long memories may remember Dickson collaborating with the Bollywood orchestra on the High Fidelity's classic Demonstration album a couple of decades ago) before Hurricanes takes the tempo up a notch with some funky rhythms which will get your head nodding along and All In The World almost goes into chilled-out house territory and the minimalist Transatlantic has McAlmont whispering over an echo-laden string section. The Skin I'm In meanwhile shows a social conscience in the lyrics, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

I s'pose I should probably point out that if you normally read Nite Songs for the glam, punk and goth stuff we cover then this might not be for you but for an album to chill out to on a quiet evening with some truly lovely warm orchestration and McAlmont weaving his magic over the top then it's a genuinely great album. Proper nice relaxing music with great tunes - what more could you really ask for?

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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