Outside In

In addition to being the keyboard player and sonic-sculpting knob-twiddler for Welsh super-pop band Super Furry Animals, the prolific Cian Ciaran is part of the techno collective Acid Casuals and a producer (under the monikers Paps and Kirkland). “You & Me” opens with Ciaran singing through dense John Lennon–sounding reverb over piano, string arrangements, and slide guitar, sounding like an indiefied Plastic Ono Band. At just more than five minutes, it’s the longest song on his 2012 debut solo album, Outside In. The pianos are swapped out for lightly strummed acoustic guitars on the similarly somber “Outside In” before “Third Time Lucky” reveals that Ciaran is equally inspired by Burt Bacharach’s orchestral pop and Harry Nilsson’s woeful weepers. He borrows the melody from The Beach Boys’ “Heroes and Villains” for “Martina Franca,” a sleepy, beachy standout that boasts beautiful backing vocal parts and some of the best guitar work here. “Rollercoaster Ride” reverberates with sunny '60s-style symphonic pop, recalling similar '90s approximations by The High Llamas.