Louque is a slick new band from New Orleans, La., creating music on their debut album, "So Long," that they refer to as "faya." Making up a new name for their own music might seem like a good way to make music feel original, but originality takes a little more work than that.
The band is named after the singer and primary songwriter, Dustan Louque. The music is mostly computer-generated, with glitch beats and heavy bass lines dominating the record. This creates a laid-back, cool atmosphere.
The music is heavily influenced by Caribbean and Southern styles, which could keep it from becoming very popular up North, where the weather is just a little bit colder and the sun shines just a little less brightly. "So Long" would be a good mood-setter on a hot, lazy summer day.
Dustan Louque has a pretty pleasant voice reminiscent of similar contemporary songwriters - in particular, Remy Shand. He'd probably be better off hiring a real band instead of relying entirely on his computer. The songs would sound much better if they sounded more like a bunch of kids sitting in the sun playing together. Instead, it sounds more like a guy sitting in a cold dark studio messing around with different controls on a switchboard, sacrificing a genuine sentiment.
The standout is the second track, "Whoa Now," which was featured on the Sept. 20 episode of The WB's "Everwood." It's the closest that the band comes to creating music that doesn't sound computerized, and it is the album's catchiest contribution.
There's even one song, "Art," where Louque attempts to rap, and the results are not very appealing. It interrupts the calmness of the song out of nowhere and transforms it into just a total mess that begs the listener to skip to the next track. The entire album can be heard for free on the band's Web site.
