Starsailor are the latest victims of the Next Big Thing syndrome; ruthlessly hyped at the start of the year, the delay in the release of this debut album has robbed their reputation of much of its lustre. Love Is Here finally gives us something to work with: a passionate, stirring rock album with a sense of ambition that can only be applauded. Its strengths are obvious: James Walsh's commanding falsetto vocals and the tempestuous piano work of his deputy Barry Westhead which lends drama to these intensely earnest, introspective songs. Their chief fault, meanwhile, is that they sometimes reach too far, straining for an epic production that the lyrics can't really justify. Even so, there should be more than enough here to propel Starsailor into the upper echelons of indie stardom.

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