JAMES : PTMY SCOTSMAN REVIEW

"This is not just another James album ..." proclaims the press release. If only the band sounded as convincing.

If there is such a thing as 11th-album fatigue, James are suffering from it on Pleased To Meet You. Although this is as accomplished a collection as you would expect from a band who present such a stable front, their standard epic pop, typified by Falling Down, needs a shake-up. The Shining is Nick Cave’s The Ship Song sung in a David Gray whine, while the title track, with its shades of Bowie at his blandest, and the closing Alaskan Pipeline, are an indication of where Radiohead could have gone if they had stopped pushing themselves. The natural and intuitive connection between the band has long since slipped into the comfort zone.