Washington DC native Hakim's debut is a rash of overenthusiastic production and lyrical melodrama. He's already made a reputation with his EPs Where Will We Go, Pt I & II,and recordings of his live performances speak of an artist clearly in search of something deep and original within.
But Green Twins owes more of its lineage to 1980s synth-laden pop than to the hipper reference points Hakim cites (My Bloody Valentine, Marvin Gaye).
Vocally reminiscent of Scritti Politti's Green Gartside, Hakim sounds like a singer encaged in an electronic maze when he might be more at home if someone just pulled out the plugs. There are some memorable moments: and Cuffed whispers, just whispers, of a fondness for Prince's floating, suspended longing, dripping with desire.
A little more hormones, a lot less electricity and who knows what might happen?
