REVIEWSDouglas Armour, ‘The Light of a Golden Day, the Arms of the Night’

6

• SPIN Rating:6 of 10

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    Spotify

Label: The Social Registry

The debut album from this versatile Los Angeles singer/ songwriter is split into two distinct sides: The first half skews in favor of melancholic post–Postal Service synth pop, and the other focuses on a slightly more ambient version of the Shins' folk pop. Armour's gift for understated, romantic melodies shines brightest on the dancey electronic numbers ("Fall Apart Again," "Towards the Light"), but when he strays from brisk tempos and bass grooves, his songs can become as limply mawkish as a Lenny Kravitz ballad.

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