Kiddo - 135 Days EP

Plenty of indie bands claim to mix rock songs with dance grooves and jazz rhythms. Most of them don't. Kiddo, however, actually do and it sounds good. Opener, Elegy isn't a million miles from The White Stripes. Closer, 55 Years Time rings true with neo-punk guitar lines, indie hooks and plenty of melody. '135 Days' is eclectic. Everything sounds like something familiar but Kiddo creates enough of their own sound, built up from the dilettantish rhythms that seep into the lead guitar lines. Only the ubiquitous ballad, Brought To Your Knees, fails to inspire. Sitting uncomfortably close to a Coldplay album track, it lacks the zeal and direction of the others. Still, four out of five ain't bad, is it? [Neil Ferguson]