PLASTIQUE
★★★★
Formerly the singer with The Soup Dragons and The High Fidelity, Sean Dickson re-emerged as Hifi Sean a decade ago, his new DJ career transforming into 2016’s Ft., a collaborative album by turns joyous and poignant with guest vocalists including Fred Schneider, Alan Vega, Yoko Ono and Crystal Waters.
One of the standout turns on Ft., it’s no surprise that David McAlmont proves to be the singer Dickson has made a full album with. Recorded in an East London tower block and mixed at a Camber Sands beach hut, Happy Ending sounds as luxurious as anything from Compass Point. McAlmont is such a stellar vocalist, he can sing anything, but he’s rarely sounded more at home than over Dickson’s grooves. Much of the LP is loosely Balearic, but tracks like All In The World and Real Thoughts In Real Time offer hedonistic release, while Maybe finds room for a C86 jangly riff and a squelchy bass behind McAlmont’s vocal.