Street of the Love of Days

A low-key, largely acoustic collaboration between Clientele frontman Alasdair MacLean and Lupe Núñez-Fernández of the transatlantic twee-pop duo Pipas, Amor de Dias naturally features strong comparisons to its parent acts: both Alasdair's melodious croon and Lupe's wispy bi-lingual coo are decidedly distinctive. And yet, Street of the Love of Days is its own thing. With its songs based largely on gently plucked nylon-string guitars, gentle hand percussion and spare, jazzy piano chords, the duo more fully explore the love of vintage bossa nova that both The Clientele and Pipas have hinted at on their own albums. It's not just a night on Copacabana beach though: slowly-unfolding opener "Foxes Song" is built around an unhurried piano figure with more than a hint of Erik Satie, and guest musicians including Damon and Naomi, Louis Philippe and The Ladybug Transistor's Gary Olson bring in horns, harp, recorder, bouzouki and other intriguing embellishments underneath the duo's vocals. Easily gliding from the swooningly lovely title track to the unsettling, noisy atmosphere of "Birds," the album reveals a greater emotional depth on repeat listens than one might expect from the unfailingly pleasant surface.