Threatmantics - Little Bird

Threatmantics pride themselves on their unorthodox line-up, with a viola taking the place of lead guitar and their drummer doubling up on keyboard. With just a little more of that imaginative risk-taking in the music itself, Little Bird might feel less anti-climactic. Instead it’s a fairly uneventful two-and-a-half minutes. The occasional burst of noise interrupts a meandering, bluesy bassline - and such minor pleasures are expected to suffice. B-side Sum Sum, meanwhile, could be Kaiser Chiefs without the production values - again, in no way unpleasant, but for such an intriguing proposition, Threatmantics are frustratingly underwhelming. [Chris Buckle]