The Spectres - The Spectres

If you're not hardcore into reggae-rock, the Spectres' debut maybe isn't for you. With off-beat, syncopated guitar work and funky driving basslines, there's an air of the Police about it all. Although the musical ability cannot be denied - the drum intro on The Jam, for instance, is pretty impressive - the songs do begin to blend together as the record goes on, the speed-up rock-out climax idea becoming bit repetitive. Undoubtedly imbued with admirable sentiment, much of the lyrical content involves revolution, profit and peace, at times pushing their own message too far. The track Freemocracy is a strange experience, where you being to wonder how a chap from Edinburgh could sound so Marley-esque when saying Babylon. Yet Leo is a stand-out track, more upbeat and seemingly less political, a song just about loving reggae - which these guys clearly do: unconcerned with anything other than a beasting jam, and you can't fault that.