On The Brink

Sounding as though it was stitched together from the reheated leftovers of the last Bloc Party album, On The Brink unfurls in a haze of yelped vocals, dub tempos and – Christ, can we get over the ‘80s, already? – new-wave guitars. To be fair, things begin promisingly –‘They Don’t Know’ is creepily hushed, all muffled, Massive Attack beats and whispered lyrics. But the A-Z of Britpop is soon dusted down: ’I Believe’ is a profoundly anonymous slice of blogger-bait; ‘ Sail Away’ could pass for a Razorlight out-take (yes, we feel ill too). The closing track sums up the state of affairs succinctly: ‘Don’t Waste Your Time’.

Key Track: ‘They Don’t Know’