'Dark On Fire' by Turin Brakes

Funny one, this. 'Dark On Fire' is one of those albums that just won't work its way into my conciousness, however many chances I give it. It made little impression on me when it came out, and I've returned to it several times since, enjoying it each time, but for some reason, it just won't stick.

I like it, though. Lots of it is really good - 'Stalker', 'Something In My Eye', the title track (even if it does sound like 'Dog On Fire') are all great, and there are no particular weak spots. It just doesn't have enough distintiveness to sound out. I'm all for bands trying new approaches, so it seems harsh to criticise them for recording an album with a more 'live band' approach, but the downside is that they sound like a band rather than a duo quite a lot of the time. That isn't a bad thing in itself, but you get less of the harmonies, and less of the delicate nature of previous Turin Brakes albums.

I spent a couple of days listening to this album fairly solidly, and I did enjoy it. A couple of days on, and I find it hard to recall many of the tracks very clearly. However, I'll come back to it again - and eventually, I'll crack it.