Spitting Off Tall Buildings - Goodnight and Good Luck

Steve Albini generally excels at capturing the eccentricities of the best artists he works with. Unfortunately, Goodnight and Good Luck would suggest that either he has failed to do so this time, or Spitting Off Tall Buildings simply lack the character that made PJ Harvey or Mclusky's earlier recordings at the Electrical Audio compound such a success. This is a painfully safe album. An enthusiastic cover of Heart Beats by The Knife is easily the stand-out track. Only Trade gives any further reason to turn the volume up and that is largely due to its striking resemblance to Sonic Youth. The songs are too-often colourless, lacking hooks and with few memorable riffs or moments of standout musicianship. The vocals are sincere but ultimately a little bland and only the drumming occasionally manages to shine. Sniffs of The Breeders and Arcwelder give points of reference yet also highlight how far this falls short of both those bands. [Chris Cusack]