Dan Smith

The opening piano certainly brings to mind Muse, but Dan Smith’s slightly mockney vocals don’t allow you to linger on that thought for too long. From then on it’s an unsettling song that encompasses an off kilter ska/Specials midsection, a few lulls, and a satisfyingly epic climax, all in three minutes.

It could easily have gone up its own backside, but its credit to the song writing and arrangements, that it doesn’t sound as if it’s a series of stray ideas linked together.

Same can’t be said for Words are Words which is a mess. It flirts with cheeky-chappy-cockney, and Noël Coward/ Kit and the Widow parlour piano. It does eventually turn into a song, but I’d lost interest. There's no doubting Dan Smith's vocal dexterity, but sometimes less is much better than more.