Parra for Cuva - Majouré (2014)

German DJ Nicolas Demuth aka Parra For Cuva first pricked ears back in 2013 with a cover of Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game' featuring the vocals of Anna Naklab. It wasn't a particularly special moment for music, probably because of the fact that the chosen song has been covered to death by various artists over the years. But also the fact that it sounded like one of those plastic chart climbers that hangs around for a few weeks, then disappears without anyone noticing.

It was a real surprise then, to hear Parra For Cuva's debut album sounded completely different. Majouré is not the predicted output you might expect of someone who's dipped their feet in the commercial market with a very average cover version.

Majouré takes its time to implant a mood of happiness and melodic satisfaction in your mind, without overstaying its welcome. There's a certain element of unpredictability that makes each sound distinctive and never at risk of becoming dull. For example, vocals don't surface until after the three minute mark in opener Devi, featuring some optimistic rhymes from rapper Nieve.

Majouré has all the ingredients of the perfect chillout album, with Demuth slapping on some unique and interesting vocal samples along with comforting, glitchy background sounds. Spiral is a good example of how this works out well, including vocal sample exchanges from a low pitch and a high pitch behind a driving beat, which could sound a bit odd in the wrong hands. Champa (feat. Monsoonsiren) is another high point, delivering a sun-kissed guitar intro that reminds you of the summer warmth your beginning to miss already in this icy month.

As the album evolves, the Caribou influence of Majouré becomes clearer and clearer and is probably one of the other reasons I like the album a lot more than I thought I would. Kopernikus is a nice slice of Dan Snaith for the uninitiated, bringing all that was good about 2010s Swim back under Demuth's own distinctive guise.

It's hard to find something wrong with this unexpectedly solid debut, other than that some tracks can often melt into one another, whilst possibly lacking in a bit of electronic oomph or big bassline to notch the album up a level or two. But to Parra For Cuva's credit, it doesn't matter too much, not when it sounds this good anyway.