So your brother (and bandmate) lost the disc containing 100 of your songs. Your blood, toil and tears. One would expect the next album to be brimming with ditties about sweet, sweet revenge; instead Greg Gilbert and company (Greg's not bearing the burden of soul songwriter anymore, weird that) have produced songs about a string of failed relationships. If I could review a CD in one line or less, I would describe their second album as "a flurry of Fleetwood Mac songs sung in the style of a teen Brett Anderson with an '80s twist." If you like the sound of that then you're clearly on to a winner. If not, then you'll most likely be drawn to tracks 'You and Me' (which should really be their next single), 'Sink Like a Stone', 'Out of Nowhere' (a great track that builds up to something special and then abruptly ends) and current sublime single 'Valentine'. You might also enjoy the sleazy synth in 'Lillian' but, again, Gilbert's vocals obliterate pretty much everything. Their previous work was more suited to his falsetto - softer songs constructed for serenading cherubs - but most of this new material is edgier. He might just want to rein it in a tad. Perhaps, for balance, they should focus on the lyrics and music more, rather than primarily his vocal ability. I fear that if they do ever career down the mainstream they'll ultimately suffer the same fate as Coldplay; there's simply only so much yelping one can take. If this review comes across as lacklustre, it's because the album left me feeling as such. I was willing to embrace it but instead I was left with an overriding feeling of (and it saddens me to say it) boredom. I would however buy 'Valentine' without hesitation…
