Hard to believe now, but there was a time when Scottish rockers Simple Minds were seen as U2's rivals for the title of biggest band in the world. With that little war long since over, however, this is one group that looks less like Celtic visionaries than an aging dinosaur act long since passed by its sell-by date. That said, their new album isn't as bad as the cynics might suggest - Jim Kerr's silky voice is holding up well with age and the band have matched his epic pretensions by coming up with a few mighty guitar riffs. Before long, however, the hollow bombast that was always at the heart of Simple Minds' songwriting becomes more than a little tiresome, reminding of you of everything that was wrong with the overblown 80s. A respectable effort - but nothing more than that.

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