Herman Dune

Making cutesiness a high art form, Paris’s Herman Dune tap into the meta-charm of Jonathan Richman for this excellent five-song EP. In the wrong hands, the playfulness exhibited by David-Ivar Herman Dune, Neman Herman Dune and the players/singers accompanying them would be grating in a hurry. That’s not the case on the wonderfully infectious and innocent I Wish That I Could See You Soon. David-Ivar’s accent and the child-like delivery of his romantically rendered tales set in locales like New York, Paris and Sweden are a killer combination. When the band break into the title track or the rambling, clever "Take Him Back to New York City,” one’s heart bends to these hopeful songs. The Dunes revel in the open transparency of their craft, where directions to back-up singers (i.e., "Now the Angels go!”) on songs like "I Wish I Had Someone That I Loved Well” become indelible lyrics. Warmly affectionate, Herman Dune strike all the right chords on this endearing EP.