No brainer. What Xarah summons from these old analogue synths hovers way above any of the canned, digitised drivel we've become used to. Take the hypnotic quality of the bass lines, add ethereal vocals and catchy melodic lines, throw in a few rhythmic shenanigans, and enjoy one of the sexiest, most addictive sonic cocktails you'd hope to dream of. Heck, it even compelled me to the frigging dance floor (huh?!) last year! O_o Oh, did I mention French lyrics? ;-)

If you play a stringed instrument, sooner or later you'll ask yourself why so much space between semitones, and why not use more of it? The answer involving harmonics and maths may be a bit dry, but Micropangaea will make it crystal clear. If we want to, we can use that space. But won't it sound weird and out of tune? Not if you leave it to Brendan Byrnes. He gets it right in every configuration. The wizardry is that each track feels like discovering music for the very first time!