There's a long and illustrious tradition of third albums seeing a band hit their stride ("A Hard Day's Night", "Parklife", "London Calling", "Forever Changes") but there's also a precedent for third albums seeing a previously perfect band lose focus ("Be Here Now", "Supergrass").

This eponymous Webb Brothers LP is the second kind of third album. It lacks the spit and bile of their ragged debut "Beyond The Biosphere" and after the monumental melodramatic bad hangover of second LP "Maroon" it's difficult to see what depths of the human psyche are left for them to excavate. A certain lack of lyrical edge could be expected then but mainly this is a record critically wounded by bad production. The fuzzy electronic skitterings and chirpings running through otherwise good songs like "I've Been Waiting" and "All The Dreams" are unnecessary and irritating, the circus music interludes on "Jonesy Vs The Apocalypse" and "Heaven's Never Letting Me In" are too incongruous to be witty or ironic and the lumpy drumming made me want to kill myself.

It's a shame because some excellent songs reveal themselves on the second listen. "Ms. Moriarty" is an obvious choice for a single because it sounds like The Strokes (i.e. really good). It's over in three and a half minutes but it feels like half that time. "A Funny Ol' Kind Of Music" is disco Grandaddy and none the worse for that. "The Chill" is creepy Twin Peaks soundtrack stuff and instrumental closing track "Bitten By Snakes" sees the brothers regaining some of the majesty of "Maroon".

In the dark corner of a studio archive somewhere in America is a truly brilliant demo. Precedents for fourth albums are weak. -Ian Martin, Oct.07.03

The Webb Brothers