Being from Wigan and trading in a melodramatic brand of indie-rock, it was probably inevitable that Starsailor were going to be labelled the new Verve. It hasn't quite happened for them yet, probably because they've produced many good singles but no truly great one. There's no real stand-out track on their third album either, but it's still a solid piece of work that sounds better with every listen. Their songs aren't quite as sopisticated as those of, say, Coldplay or Keane, but what they lack in subtlety they more than make up for in passion. Against a background of squalling guitars, James Walsh wails as if his very life depends on it - an unsettling sound, but one which certainly demands your attention. Just one great song and you feel a breakthrough could be on the cards - after all, it worked for the Verve.
