wished you hadn't blown my mind and killed my surprise

Fresh on the back of two of the years catchiest singles, comes "The Trick To Life", the debut album from three-piece "odd-pop" band the Hoosiers.

The album opens with monster single "Worried About Ray" which spent ten weeks in the top 10 in the summer. I wasn't sure about this single at the time, and until I saw them live I had to be convinced about the band at all.

What that gig, and indeed this album prove is that there is much, much more to the Hoosiers than meets the eye.

To some degree, they have a bit of a problem. The two singles (especially the love-it-or-hate-it "Goodbye Mr A") will no doubt largely determine whether people buy this record or not. However, ignoring the two singles the album provides a breadth of sound which is somewhat unexpected.

I'm not for one minute suggesting you give the album a spin if you hate the singles, but if you think they are OK, you may well be pleasantly surprised. "Cops and Robbers" is fun (even though it clearly borrows a baseline from the Cure's "Lovecats") and the gentle "Run Rabbit Run" demonstrates the band produce more than formulaic guitar pop.

I really like it. It's a mixture of catchy potential singles and some nice reflective and crafted material (the excellent "A Sadness Runs Through Him" is a highlight). If you're into anything from XTC and the Cure through to ELO and the Feeling, you might well find something here for you.