JAMES SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY REVIEW

The enduring appeal of James is hard to quantify. They snatch defeat from the jaws of victory every time major crossover success beckons, settling into the role of third on the bill at festivals throughout the land.

Which makes it something of a surprise that they should come storming out of the traps with their best album since Laid - perhaps better. Reunited with Brian Eno’s production skills, it positively bursts at the themes with their skewed take on the rock anthem. The key moments arrives with the shimmering paean to addiction, ‘Junkie’, which may remind James fans why they developed the habit in the first place