Take That

Progress ***

The fevered dreams of a zillion fangirls have finally come true: Robbie has rejoined the fold. But this is a very different Take That to the one that danced and grinned its way through Could It Be Magic, or the one that has more recently enjoyed probably the most successful reunion in pop history. The cover shows five naked men (man-parts obscured) representing one boyband's evolution. And the music? Well, the album title could be shortened to "prog". The Beatles balladry has given way to stomping electro-pop more suited to Muse or Ultravox, and the lyrics veer from cod-polemical to crypto- psychedelia. First single The Floodanchors it all, and Williams's vocals add punch to such tracks as SOS, Kidzand Underground Machine.They could have come back for good with 10 cosy, familiar tunes, but instead they've decided to take that to another level. What next – a cover of a Rush song? See takethat.com

Download tracks: The Flood, Kidz, Pretty Things