Brakes

This album begins with a very catchy tune that immediately has you taping your feet. It is somewhat of a surprise when the lyrics come in to reveal a very punk influenced singer. The punk theme is continued into the second track with edgy lyrics accompanying toe-tapping pop instruments.

After these initial flirtations with both the Sex Pistols and the more recent Subways, the album morphs into more general pop, with several tracks that would not sound our of place on either a Byrds album or some of the better Monkees tracks. For me, this is a good thing, it makes the album very accessible to all types of listeners.

Perhaps aware that they have drifted into pop for too long, the edgy vocals return for track 5, albeit popular in there actual content, and the pop chord structure still remains. Track 6 is a simple, yet touching, lament to Isabel which has a memorable melody and you genuinely do share the feelings of the singer. IT is a short track, yet very effective and all the better for it. Perhaps unsurprisingly, from a band that seems keen to play on change throughout this record, track 7 sees us move into that teen American genre, immediately conjuring images of proms and a coming of age, and very enjoyable.

Track 8 is then undoubtedly an answer to the previous track's easy and playful melody, with a fast beat accompanied by lyrics that border on plain shouting. This type of track is not normally my cup of tea but, as a direct contrast to the previous one, and being a mere minute in length, it very much works contextually.

The penultimate track on the album happens to be my favourite and sees a return to the jangly pop and has both a catchy melody and chorus. The last track, at almost five minutes, is the longest on the album by some distance, and is beautiful. Very melodic music and a haunting lyric that works. At the beginning of the track there is an immediate expectation that it will develop into something else, but it doesn't. For once, this is a good thing, allowing the song to maintain a presence that really does work.

This is a great album that proves that you can drift in and out of genres and still create an excellent piece of music. It also has a number of tracks that would hold their own as single releases, whilst maintaining an impressive overall structure. Those of you who like new bands, like the previously mentioned Subways, yet still enjoy the guitar led pop of the mid to late sixties, will find this album very pleasing on the ear.