Cowbell – Skeleton Soul

Seems every generation gets its own set of legislated-nostalgics who wish rock’n’roll would just get back to basics. Dutifully, they head back to the garage in search of that tricky ol’ beast ‘authenticity’ – which invariably means ransacking the blues. Sometimes the stars align and things work out pretty nicely (The White Stripes, Jon Spencer, etc), but more often than not the results are a Clapton-derived mess of pose-copping tedium. So, the crux: from which cloth are Londoners Cowbell cut?

Ok, the jaunty honk of Dirt is a low point, with Jack Sandham carrying on like a drunken Paolo Nutini dad-dancing his way through a Domestos advert. Much better are the less self-conscious numbers, particularly knowing party stomp Shake The Blues and the marvelously Kinksian Change Her Ways. Best of all is Heart On The Line – drummer Wednesday Lyle’s spotlight moment, and an oasis of sweetness amidst all this dusty groove. [Will Fitzpatrick]