- Playing the mystery card is usually like growling a full blown moustache, you've usually got something to hide, and not the sexy kind of something, something like the lack of a personality or a minuscule top lip. Apparently a twenty-five year old dude from who the hell knows, The Child of Lov is one such fellow, and while he does appear to wield a tiny moustache it's his brief stint in the twilight-zone I'm referring to.

Like Slipknot, The Knife, Kiss and Daft Punk before them, The Child of Lov was birthed into the music world via channels of ambiguity and intrigue, each intentionally keeping the level of personal exposure minimal for as long as they could ride said mystery train. Though not the most similar acts musically, if you got a select group of people in one room you'd probably find out that each of those bands are the greatest ever, their get-ups more than a guise, instead an appropriately heroic garb for the emotional protectors of our realm.

While probably not the greatest ever, The Child of Lov is certainly something and his debut album defies convention without going off the rails. The record is a bizarre mix of futuristic-neo-soul, old school regular soul, r'n'b and skewed pop, the singer /instrumentalist's croon varying between each night flight, sounding at different times like Cee-Lo Green, Gil Scott Heron and Har Mar Superstar.

The Child of Lov's self-titled debut record was recorded in ex-Blur frontman Damon Albarn's own studio and while it may seem like a surprising hook-up at first glance, Albarn has always had a gift for composing the perfect pop gem. After dabbling with hip-hop via the Gorillaz and with soul via his production work on Bobby Womack's surprisingly great comeback album The Bravest Man in the Universe, you can imagine some such magic may have rubbed here. This sounds lush, atmospheric and crisp: Albarn thankfully helping not hindering in the creative process.

By the time fellow paranoia-sufferer and masked hip-hop hero DOOM rears his - I can only assume - gorgeous, face for an entire stint on 'Owl' I'm practically smitten, The Child of Lov sweet-talking me into enjoying his music.

I don't know if I, nor anyone will give two dead rats about this relatively poor attempt at mysticism and relatively good attempt at music in the not too distant future, but for my current life of leisure and despair it'll do pig, it'll do.

- Jay Edwards.