Reviewed by Ben Lilford

SF59 have been through many guises. Their latest long player 'My Island' sees the band again with four members after 2005's 'Talking Voice Vs Singing Voice', which just featured Frank Lenz on rhythm duties and Martin doing presumably everything else. 'My Island' finds the band on poppier form than some of their earlier work. Everything is in its right place, from the boom bap delivery of the drums through the Ferdinand twang of the guitars to the oh-so now sounds of its analogue synth lines. The album's sound is easy to believe in but locating the potential singles on this set still proves difficult first time round which is probably down to the lack of lyrical or melodic hooks in the songs. The guitars and vibe of the tracks flag in neon which ones are to be the standout cuts, but for all Jason Martin's cool Californian tones he can't seem to nail that elusive killer chorus. You want the Primal Scream rock of "Mic The Mic" or the '50s saché intro to "I Win" to feature in radio playlists but something just sounds like it's missing from the final edit. Having said that, "The Frontman" with its dynamic driving intro has made it to the heady heights of the Cross Rhythms playlist. But for all Mr Martin's hard work 'My Island' isn't quite the tour-de-force it could have been, though it definitely has its moments.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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