They also sound uniquely Canadian: keenly aware of the voices that came before them in the national soundscape. My wife compared them to U2, which could be a little ambitious, but in the terms of the Vertigo-era of the band, it’s not too wild of a stretch. It might be their big choruses or their riff-y verses, but Library Voices stand to become the new poster for Canadian rock ’n’ roll.

This is the sort of record that sounds like it was birthed in the isolation of the Canadian prairies, but it’s distinctly Canadian because its aware of its context. Maybe you have to live here to understand. But Lovish rocks. And I don’t think it’s getting enough publicity.

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All of these influences, and the difficulty in pinning down an exact sound that references what sort of music he’s making, indicates to me that he’s inventing something new. Or, at least, he’s inventing something new in a minor fashion.

Even if you disagree with the assessment that his blues/hip-hop/gospel-influenced R&B/soul music is a new take on the genre, it’s hard to deny Daniel’s skill behind the mic. This guy can sing. This guy can write a song. He’s writing music for the soul, despite some of its occasional rough-and-tumble vibes. And I love it. Listen to this one with the subwoofer turned up a little bit (but not too much).

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I was attracted to Strange Geometry because of tis great cover-art, which is very neutral and somehow obvious. The record is a classic in its genre though, which sounds that have since been imitated countless times by more acts than I can think of off the top of my head.

What’s unique about the record is that its spaced-out instrumentation feels at least five years ahead of its time, as if the band had a magic ball and saw some of the dreampop style well in advance. And while the second half of Strange Geometry isn’t perfect — the album slows considerably — it’s an interesting listen purely because The Clientele appeared to know something everybody else did not.

This is not the sort of record you put on when it’s time to rock out to something righteous, but it is the right sort of music for striking a melancholic Monday or Tuesday morning. And for fans of indie, or for bands like Beach House, this ahead-of-its-time precursor is highly recommended.

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Most people would say that he came into his own, though, on his second record: The Mandé Variations, a beautiful take on what Middle Eastern classical might sound like. With beautiful production values and an intense focus on his lush guitar playing, fans of guitar work and great composition will find a lot to like here.

There’s also a lot to note here when comparing Diabaté to modern-day guitar gods: players like Kaki King (one of the world’s best) undoubtedly owe much of their playing style to Diabaté, and particularly the way his records (beginning with The Mandé Variations, which was critically acclaimed) drew attention to the unique sounds that classical-influenced guitar playing could offer.

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