Among the most intriguing and outright exciting LPs excavated and redistributed by reissue label Light In The Attic is L’Amour, a mysterious private press record of gentle, ethereal ballads by an unknown white male crooner known as Lewis. As the story goes, collector Jon Murphy discovered L’Amour at an Edmonton flea market and passed it on to private press aficionado Aaron Levin, who shared it online and thereby set in motion feverish speculation among that small but fervent subset of music fans that is often enraptured by obscure curiosities.

L’Amour has a fascinating yet maddeningly incomplete backstory. According to assorted online detective work, Lewis was most likely a stockbroker named Randall Wulff who drove a white Mercedes, dated a beautiful woman, and paid for the striking portrait that serves as the album cover with a $250 check that bounced. The liner notes, which include a dedication to Christie Brinkley, offer precious few clues about his identity. All that mystery certainly adds to L’Amour’s allure, yet this music would be haunting under any circumstances. Aching swaths of synth, piano, and acoustic guitar serve as a bed for fragile bellows akin to Antony Hegarty or Arthur Russell, Lewis spinning stories of love and heartbreak with downtrodden conviction. Stream it below.

L’Amour is out now on CD and 7/22 on vinyl via Light In The Attic. Order it here.