Critiques CD: Kid Koala | Space Cadet

Eric San a.k.a. Kid Koala unmasks, on his latest disc, a new chapter in his famed international DJ and recording career. Space Cadet comes with a twofold purpose, as both a 132-page graphic novel penned by San and what we have here, its accompanying soundtrack. Dark, lonely and emotional immediately spring to mind, the wordless songs themselves featuring beds of live instrumentation, from a plinkled piano to a plucked guitar to haunting string concertos – the entire sonic offering largely played, engineered and subtly manipulated by the Kid himself. A beautiful mélange of post-pop, contemporary classical and whispered electronics.