Please and Thank You

The Broken Family Band think they’re motoring, but methinks they are somewhat pedestrian. ‘Salivating’ struggles to get up a head of steam, the sub-Brakes ‘St. Albans’ trundles inconspicuously along, and ‘The Girls In This Town’ fails to get beyond the mundane. Sadly, Steve Adams’ lyrics prove every bit as limited as the music, his rather matter-of-fact style narratives failing to fire the imagination.
Mainly, then, what we’re dealing with here are varying shades of grey. However, now and again, they tease us by splattering a few dabs of dazzling colour onto the canvas. ‘Son Of The Man’ is a thrilling oddity, the rhythms as gangly and awkward as a pubescent teenager, while ‘You Did A Bad Thing’ is a slow-building delight, all weary vocal drawl, spook sounds and intermittently buzzing guitar. For the most part, though, it’s a case of thanks, but no thanks.