Tahiti 80

The title track that opens the album is a bit of a mellowing surprise, but serves merely as an introduction to the rest of this fantastic collection of breezy pop songs. There really isn't much of a stylistic change between their debut and this LP, which is fortunate, because for a relatively young band, Tahiti 80 make some great orchestral pop music. As part of the wave of artists from France who compose in English, this Paris-based quartet are less interested in making electronic-based music and much happier living in a sonic world rooted in classic '60s pop. Singer Xavier Boyer's breathy voice is in top form, and the songwriting and production on Wallpaper For The Soul is smooth as butter. Too bad this wasn't released earlier in the year - this is a great summer record. Alas, we will have to be content with warming up our winter with the rich sounds of soft guitars, strings, trumpet, vintage keyboards and piano. Impressively, there aren't any throwaway tracks on the album, and consistency is without a doubt one of their strong points. If you're looking for a little grit in your music, Tahiti 80 albums certainly won't be of much use. However, if cheeky, fun pop music is what you're looking for, this would be a great asset.