Little Doses – Rock Riot Soul

It’s difficult to imagine how Snow Patrol could ever have served as the platform for creative quarrel (not if you dug Songs for Polarbears – ed), but Mark McClelland’s departure from the band in 2005 confirms that strange things do happen in pop music. Since his parting, McClelland has been relentlessly waving the flag for truly independent music with his new band Little Doses, culminating in this self-recorded, self-produced and self-released debut, Rock Riot Soul.

While admirable in its autonomy, the vocals (lead by Kirsten Ross) become frustratingly forgettable across an album which is veritable alt-rock delivered with instrumental precision when the quintet is at its best. But rather than opt for the lo-fi aesthetic that a cited influence like Sparklehorse might imply, Little Doses have instead tried to emulate the highly polished production standards of McClelland's chart-yearning ex-band mates. The result is an unfortunate album which sits all too calmly in No Man’s Land; too DIY for mainstream appeal and too damn safe for anything else.