Rock/Pop

The latest releases reviewed

SHACK Time Machine - The Best of Shack Sour Mash ****

Liverpool's Shack have received so much positive coverage in the past decade that they're always threatening to go into the Next Big Thing box on a wearyingly regular basis. Despite heroin addiction and album/record company problems in the past, the band still have their supporters (Noel Gallagher has signed them to his record label).

That's probably because their  music is of such high quality - paradoxically, maybe too high to let them break into the mainstream. Not that they haven't tried musically - this timely collection is full of the kind of blueprinted and minted Beatles-esque melodies that far lesser bands have had huge success with (Oasis). Shack continue to keep their heads down, though, creating cracking pop songs, mooching around their own backyard, and possibly wondering why a double-six has never rolled their way. TONY CLAYTON-LEA

THE HOOSIERS The Trick to Life RCA *** 

They're named after folk from the state of Indiana, but The Hoosiers are actually two English lads (singer-guitarist Irwin Sparkes and drummer Alfonso Sharland) and one Swede (bassist Martin Skarendahl).

There are probably a dozen bands in the US who already lay claim to the name, but it's doubtful if any of them could challenge the quirky, literate pop of Worried About Ray, Worst Case Scenario and Goodbye Mr A.

There's a yankee-doodle dandyness to The Hoosiers' songs, gained from a year-long sojourn to Indiana, but it's fused to a very English, literate style of songwriting, as exemplified by the blackly reflective A Sadness Runs Through Him, Clinging on for Life and Everything Goes Dark.

Theirs is pop with a happy ending, however, and such tunes as Worst Case Scenario and the title track ("the trick to life is not to get too attached to it") are life-affirming enough to forgive their slight silliness. www.thehoosiers.co.uk   KEVIN COURTNEY

Download songs: Worried About Ray, Goodbye Mr A, Killer

DAY ONE Probably Art  One Little Indian ***

Day One first generated buzz after the sublimely cool Bedroom Dancing graced the soundtracks of the hit teen movie Cruel Intentions and HBO's Six Feet Under. Following a summer of British festivals, tours with Muse and The Flaming Lips, and label politics at Massive Attack's Melankolic, they're now calling One Little Indian home.

On Probably Art, Day One fuse light rock with the lyric-driven vocals of chilled hip-hop, stitching a patchwork quilt that illustrates the idiosyncrasies of urban life. Day One shine when indulging their playful nature; tracks such as Cosmopolita goad you into smiling. Weaker songs see them adding syrupy rock to the mix, trading street smarts for a radio-friendly flavour that tastes like overproduction. All along, though, it's their sugar-free recipes that work best. www.myspace.com/dayoneprobablyart DEANNA ORTIZ

Download Tracks: Probably Art, Cosmopolita, Money

THE FIERY FURNACES Widow City Thrill Jockey ****

Whatever about the artistic muse that led the Friedberger siblings to Rehearsing My Choir, that baffling album starring their granny, Widow City is slightly more conventional. Of course, The Fiery Furnaces have a different take on convention, which means their latest album doesn't quite conform to indie rock's often catholic notions and limitations.

Widow City is all the better for such attention-grabbing individuality. It's loaded with such likable turns as the punchy, quasi-anthemic Ex-Guru (Eleanor Friedberger has never sounded quite so striking before) and the splendidly out-there psych-jam of Duplexes of the Dead. There's also the agile Clear Signal from Cairo, which allows the duo, and especially tour drummer Robert D'Amico, to mess with the groove over and over again. Best of luck, by the way, trying to decipher the band's lyrical themes and narratives. www.myspace.com/thefieryfurnaces  JIM CARROLL

Download tracks: Ex-Guru, Clear Signal from Cairo

DAVID JORDAN Set the Mood ZTT ***

Londoner David Jordan used to work at Starbucks, and the 21-year- old's debut album, produced by Trevor Horn, is a massive caffeine shot of rock, soul, r'n'b and 1980s pop, influenced by everybody from Lenny Kravitz to Seal to Roachford to Terence Trent D'Arby. Jordan's not afraid to veer away from the set pathways of current r'n'b or to try out some unlikely stylistic combinations. Current single Place in My Heart may break down into a Pink Floyd- style coda, but up to then it holds firm to a catchy tune.

Jordan has thrown all his musical influences into the blend, including what sounds like a slight English folk influence in the morris-dance pop of Sun Goes Down. It's exhilarating but often feels overworked, as if Jordan is trying to stuff his entire record collection into the grooves, whether they fit or not. Still, never mind the dated rock riffs and self-consciously retro soul - here's a talent with more than mere X-factor. www.davidjordanmusic.co.uk KEVIN COURTNEY

Download tracks: Place in My Heart, Set the Mood, Sweet Prince