The View - Which Bitch?

It doesn't bode well for the second View album from the outset, arse-clenchingly awful title apart. Supermarket-indie bands are finding it difficult across the board to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, so it's a pleasant surprise to find instead that The View are using their limited palette of resources - Kyle Falconer's reedy Dundonian yelp, the traditional guitars-bass-drums set-up and a flourish of extra instrumentation - to make a record which, while it isn't going to change the face of music, is diverse enough to hold our attention. 5 Rebeccas is an enjoyably basic Pixies-by-numbers rocker and Distant Doubloon provides an agreeable orchestral (yep, you read right) interlude, although One Off Pretender's detour into rapping is one which should have been avoided. All in all, Which Bitch?'s eclecticism appears to be borne of throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, and if you're seeking major innovation, it'd be best to look elsewhere. [Gillian Watson]