Former single and arguably the best track of the album, "Mansard Roof" starts this self-titled album on exactly the right chilled-out and minimalist note, and the sparse snare drumming that drives throughout the whole album begins almost as soon as the song does, and doesn't really finish until the end of closer "The Kid's Don't Stand A Chance".
While obvious similarites with Paul Simon's Graceland and even a hint of the Beach Boys on a couple of the tracks, as well as the afrobeat of "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", it seems as if they've made an obvious effort not to be lumped in with your average Spinto Band and are intent on making themselves stand out.
Unfortunately piano-led stormer "Walcott" brings them straight back down to New York with a bump, yet the album is all the better for it. The subtle mix of contemporary Indie alongside a wealth of mostly neglected musical styles leads to an album that almost borders on the chilled-out genius of The Shins.
Alas, a couple of tracks let them down, most notably Strokes b-side material "I Stand Corrected" and what sounds like what should be the theme to the Grand National and/or a BBC costume drama, "M79".
Similarly "A-Punk", while a good track in itself, never really goes anywhere, and is fairly demonstrative of this album, which while seeming to promise so much for each song, never really delivers that final master-stroke that would make it a great album. Instead what it becomes is a pleasant, yet mediocre 35 minutes from a band who could definately do a lot better.
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