LOUQUE - SO LONG

So Long (Everfine Records) opens with \"Perique\"-- a cool night, dreaming. A beat so laid back, the snare drum is tripping over itself. The organ wraps around your head thick like milk, and Louque’s (pronounced \"Luke\") voice comes through like Bono and Damien Rice, singing each other life stories through strung-up tin cans.
For the next eight songs, responsible party Dustin Louque paints up equally picturesque atmospheres, balancing everything on the steady shoulders of his eclectic sound. Built upon hypnotic, funky rhythms, Louque mixes in strong accents of Caribbean dub and dancehall, subtle instrumentation, and occasional samples. His voice is right at home within the unusual musical mixture, giving a sense of optimism to the songs that turns even the most somber of subject matter into something soulful (\"Lifeline\").
Like the aforementioned Bono and Rice, Louque makes songs people want to listen to that aren’t dumbed down for the masses. Despite that, though, the masses should be devouring this record. You should be devouring this record. It can be that moment of relaxing, creative peace between whatever it is you typically listen to. Hopefully he’ll make more than nine songs for the world to enjoy.