ZUTONS - Tired Of Hanging Around

Just a couple of years ago the Zutons came close to winning the Mercury Prize, which instead went to Franz Ferdinand, fresh off the mega-hype of their captivating debut album. "Who Killed... The Zutons" was in fact a strange record, a schizophrenic compendium of britpop, an anachronistic revival of hard rock blues somewhere between Animals and Love, an English translation of American indie-rock.

It took almost no time at all to shake off the label of being the Coral's godchildren, a tag branded onto them by virtue of a city (Liverpool), a label (Deltasonic), a producer (Ian Broudie), and a kindred musical sensibility: just long enough to secure themselves a nice pension by licensing "Pressure Point" for a Levi's commercial and becoming "the band from the Levi's ad".

Leaving the labelling to whoever wants to bother with it, the Zutons return after two years to face the test of the second album, and there's no way not to give them a pass. While simply repeating themselves, endlessly recycling a formula that had already won over both audience and critics, would have been ill-advised, for the 2006 version of the band David McCabe staked everything on hard rock. In reality the result is more colourful than it might sound, and the evident influence of British rock blues is stuffed with other flavours that aren't necessarily akin to it. It's precisely this odd musical proposition that struck, and still strikes, listeners used to expecting something quite different from a band with a "the" in front of its name and a UK postcode.

Whether it's down to the surprise factor or the quality of the music, the half hour or so on offer here - a touch too short, if we're honest - makes for a great summer listen. The album opens with "Tired Of Hanging Around", catapulting us into a nonexistent reality, hit by huge guitar riffs, resolutely eighties aesthetic flourishes, hanging off a melody made for singing along in a crowd. The mood settles down with "Valerie", the album's first ballad: a rhythm that keeps building, bursts of unhinged saxophone, and a riff lifted straight from perfect hard rock melody. The past comes knocking again on "It's The Little Thing We Do", where we hear again that raw, raspy voice that was so overused on the debut. The nostalgia continues on "Someone Watching Over Me", which more closely recalls the atmospheres of "Who Killed... The Zutons": free of all the tasty sonic pastiche heard so far, the track is a slow, relaxed acoustic ballad, a breath of fresh air that opens a decidedly lighter second half of the record.

The Latin-flavoured "You've Got A Friend In Me", with its acoustic guitar figure accompanied by Abi Harding's saxophone, the vividly colourful soul of "Oh Stacey (Look What You've Done)" and the catchy pop of "How Does It Feel" are the standout moments. Closing the album, "I'll Know I'll Never Leave" sums up everything we've said so far. Although the variation on the theme comes off well, the Zutons can feel a little too repetitive at times. Credit is due, though, for daring to offer something other than the usual revival for its own sake, and if we add that they always manage to write a couple of great songs, there's no way they can't get a passing grade.

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19/06/2006