Stacks: Want LP

Melt on mind “pop-not-pop” by Antwerp siblings Stacks makes up another jewel in the crown of Knekelhuis, which enters its 10th year in fine style here - one for fans of Junior Boys, Uwe Schmidt’s pop chops, Sally Shapiro’s most discreet moments

Galvanised with a proper nEuropean feel for synthetic timbre, ‘Want’ firms up the needs of the Matthé brothers for proper, sophisticated synth-pop finesse. Immaculate measures of vocoders, FM synths and keys are wreathed into pellucid, breezy forms that drift from gauzy ballad (‘For Silence’) to floating Euro-disco (‘On the Heels’), to pulsating dockside prayer (‘I Want You’), whimsically nostalgic instrumentals and dry-iced waltzers (‘Run Away’) with a knowing grasp of sentimentality and schmaltz that hits precisely where it matters. They have previous form for Antwerp’s brilliant (now defunct) Entr’acte, if you need any more persuasion, but just trust your ears - they won’t deceive you - it’s a beauty.