If you're getting a bit fed up of loudmouthed, precocious Liverpool indie bands, then hard luck - these days, there seems to a new one on the scene every 15 minutes. In fairness to The Zutons, however, they're definitely one of the better ones. This resourceful debut album is brimming with spiky pop songs, with echoes of everyone from Talking Heads to Madness. The main problem is, The Zutons are uncomfortably similar to their fellow Scousers The Coral - and, on the whole, they're just not quite as good. And when producer Ian Broudie (of Lightning Seeds fame) really lets them run riot, the results are often little more than just a squawky, saxophone-driven mess. It's not enough to make you actually want to kill The Zutons - just send them away until they've calmed down a bit. After all, with a bit more self-discipline, they could well achieve the greatness they only hint at here.
