OIAPOK

Debut from this exotic, Canterbury-loving French collective is magnifique. Oiapok’s composer Pierre Wawrzyniak was once part of oddball psych-rockers Camembert, but here he’s united with vocalist Mélanie Gerber and a collective of musicians playing trombones, harp, xylophones and vibraphones. Together, they imbue clever tunes with proggy Canterbury sounds, modern jazz elements and breezy chanson stylings. While Gerber’s vocals draw on retro, chansonnière textures on the title track, the moody Summer 19 also shows her Björk-y, avant-pop side, and she’s just one part of a larger tapestry here. The parpy trombones and tight, bright xylophone/vibes parts inevitably evoke Zappa (the busy, dazzling Les Grands Equipages), but Matthieu Lenormand’s snappy drum work and Wawrzyniak’s exuberantly clever bass grooves give Oisolün less a passé feel and a more contemporary, jazzy one. There’s something…