Starsailor

It appears that Starsailor's greatest claim to fame is that they were the last band to work with Phil Spector, when he produced some of their sophomore effort back in 2003, although he was apparently difficult to work with. Fortunately nobody was shot. That album also marked the last time the band were fawned upon by the UK music press, who have since decided that they never did deliver on their early promise. It turns out, however, that album number four, All The Plans, is a return to form, in that there are plenty of examples of stirring rock and slower songs reminiscent of Urban Hymns-era Verve or Keane. It isn't a very subtle record, wearing its heart on its sleeve rather inelegantly when it comes to the lyrics, but turns out to be a perfect match for the anthemic melodies, which are crying out to be played in a nice big arena. In reality, All The Plans is the album that Starsailor always threatened to make. It just arrived six or seven years too late. There's no surprises here at all, just a big rock record desperate for someone's attention. (