Odyssey Number Five

The Brisbane band's fourth album has already gone platinum in Australia, and it's not hard to understand Powderfinger's populist appeal - they're rock, but not too hard, alternative, but not inaccessible, intelligent but not too obtuse, melodic but not too twee. A bit middle of the road, so, although diligently leaning toward left of centre.

Their single 'Like a Dog', with its breeze block riff and chorus, could lure you into thinking that snappy, angry rock is on hand, but that's the fastest, gruffest thing on the album. The rest of the songs are slower and laboriously emotive, an exercise in solid and disciplined songwriting, without being a whole lot of fun.

Powderfinger successfully manage to create a fairly big sound, without being too bombastic, but suffer from occasionally yawn-inspiring lyrics. The single excepted, there's a very similar tone right the way through Odyssey Number Five, so if you like one track, chances are you'll like 'em all. Of course the opposite is also true.

Powderfinger sound like the kind of rock band you could bring home to mother - a bit too lack lustre for my tastes.