The Magic Numbers: Those The Brokes (EMI)

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The Magic Numbers: Those The Brokes (EMI)

Regular readers of Elsewhere music pages will know my long and abiding love for pop music, and this band is one of my favourites for two reasons: their debut album sparkled with memorable pop melodies, and when they played at the Big Day Out they came on stage smiling and waving.

They looked real happy to be there, and that attitude was infectious. This follow-up to that impressive, self-titled debut (which you really should also buy for summer, believe me) is much more ambitious and they let out their inner Brian Wilson in a couple of places where string arrangements and layers of voices charm effortlessly.

That makes this a less immediately accessible album, but one also the richer for it. There are pop hits here (if radio played pure pop anymore) but I'd expect reviewers to be a little down on this one because it doesn't simply repeat the winning formula.

There are more touches of blue-eyed soul this time out also. If you smiled back at this hairy bunch at the BDO you'll be smiling again when you sit in the garden with a cool drink and this pulsating away in the background.  

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