Entertainment Ireland

The Rumble Strips
Welcome To The Walk Alone

They fall into the 'ambient/dream pop' category if iTunes is anything to go by, but The Rumble Strips aren't quite as wet as that makes them sound. Since the Devon natives came together in 2004, they've gone through several key phases: unsigned hopefuls, to part of a respected indie label stable (Transgressive), to the cusp of NME darlinghood and back again.

Now they join Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse and Kaiser Chiefs in the hallowed ranks of Mark Ronson producees. Again, try not to let that taint your view one way or another. If you're expecting a lot of Ronson's trademark horns on their second album, 'Welcome to the Walk Alone', you'd be right - but that's nothing their 2007 debut 'Girls & Weather' didn't have. Ronson undeniably brings a new dimension to the quartet's indie-pop sound, and although his embellishments bring their sound eerily close to Coldplay on one or two occasions, they've crafted a very charming album together.

Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy has turned into something of a bob-a-job string arranger these days, too. Here, his subtle orchestrations on standout track 'Not the Only Person' add grace to its steely jangle, tension to the soft rock 'n' roll rollick of 'Back Bone' and turn the plodding piano chug of 'Daniel' into a quietly grandiose gem. There are hints of '60s Merseybeat bands as well, and the old comparisons with Dexy's Midnight Runners - especially on the peppy 'London' - still stand up. All parallels aside, though, this is an album that displays a radiant sense of top-notch songwriting, and is a patent demonstration of the fact that The Rumble Strips are turning into a very fine band, indeed.

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