Milky Ways by Joakim is a beautifully elegant extrapolation of electronic music and European indie-rock sensibilities. The conception and execution are both exemplary and it’s almost impossible to find any real problem with it except for this: I just get the impression I’m listening to music made and performed by someone for who I would have a very strong personal dislike.

That is of course to take nothing from the album. Its subtle and progressive opening Back to Wilderness builds like a good meccano set, tightening all the bolts in place before affixing the next girder and laying down a real sense of the albums aesthetic with a bass kick and growling guitar courtesy of The Disco (formerly the Ectoplasmic Band) who perform all of Joakim’s tracks on this album.

Having started life as something of a piano prodigy Joakim’s now more known in the techno oeuvre but there’s nary a hint of that here, more electro-robot pyschadelica, all hip hooks and groovy vibes with a heavy sense of it’s Europeanism.

Glossy Paper is almost a hark back to 60s London sounds, Love & Romance & A Special Person like something from a daft punk album with robot voices and King Kong is Dead a kicking back chill-out track, with the band at the front, unaltered as far as I can tell, live music being made on itself with organic simplicity.

All this is rounded off by Little Girl with it’s ‘crystal choruses’ that takes heart from the likes of the Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear. And remember, this is rounding off an album that features the single Spiders with it’s Kraut-glam rock meets house meets funky soul in a cool little coffee shop and has a baby.

Which brings me back to where I began, because as good as this track is, with it’s catchy snares and head tapping smoothness, it strikes me as smug. And a little aggravating because of it. A little too clever for it’s own good.

But… original, rhythmic, funky, assured, saturated in awesome musicality and versatile enough to be played in the background of a dinner party or up loud as you whizz down the street, my animosity erodes away as I push play and start the whole ride over again. A solid effort, worthy of any record collection.