The Pigeon Detectives painful Britpop, Street Dogs palatable 70's-inspired punk , a mixture of old and new from the seasoned vixen Dolly Parton, and The Feeling pour out the powerballads in their new album.
>The Pigeon Detectives. Emergency. Dance to the Radio.
2 stars (out of 5)
The Pigeon Detective's second album is rife with painfully straightforward Britpop. Producer Stephen Street (whose credits include Blur, Babyshambles and the Kaiser Chiefs) invests the Leeds quintet with a similar sheen, while the band themselves take care of the teen-movie juvenilia and faux-punk posturing (Love You for a Day).
Frontman Matt Bowman's weedy voice quickly becomes annoying, especially when coupled to such prosaic lyrics as "Like a flash in your pan, I will take what I can". (I'm a Liar). The homogenous indie swagger and disposable hooks excite initially, then grate.
Single download: This is an Emergency
For those who like: Britpop
- John Hayden
3 stars (out of 5)
If Scorsese ever needs a soundtrack to another gritty Boston drama, then State of Grace should do the trick.
Paying homage to Joe Strummer, Gulf-war veteran Mike McColgan barks tales from the school of hard knocks. The '70s-inspired punk rockers are tight, full of hooks, and definitely from the streets.
More dangerous than Green Day and more interesting than The Offspring, The Street Dogs' only downfall is not knowing when to mix things up a bit.
Save for a tender ballad to close the album, 10 up-tempo Thin Lizzy meets The Clash rockers can be a bit much back to back.
Single download: The General's Boombox
For those who like: The Clash, The Pogues, Flogging Molly.
- Mark Orton
3 stars (out of 5)
Dolly Parton may hover between caricature and cliché but she is also a seasoned and sassy performer who still has some water in her songwriting well.
This set of radio-friendly tracks is an unabashed tilt at the mainstream country charts, and if Dolly is marking familiar boxes - love, Jesus, cheatin 'n' weepin - she is ticking them in style.
A turgid production buffs the sound up a little too much, and the endless backing vocals soon wear thin, but there are some moments here - The Lonesomes, Backwoods Barbie and the classic kiss-off Shinola - that rank with her best.
Single download: The Lonesomes
For those who like: The Dixie Chicks, Crystal Gayle
- Paul Mooney
3 stars (out of 5)
A 12-TRACK guerrilla raid on '70s A.O.R., the second album from The Feeling unashamedly meshes dewy-eyed power ballads with manicured rock flourishes, amounting to an unholy union of Queen, Hall and Oates, and 10CC.
Yet it is not all nauseating smugness.
Without You, a meditation on loneliness framed by the Virginia Tech shootings, pushes the button marked epic, while I Thought it Was Over will be familiar to anyone who has ever been to a wedding reception.
Clearly destined for heavy rotation.
Single download: I Thought It Was Over
For those who like: Their pleasures guilty.
- John Hayden
