The Early Years - 'The Early Years' (Beggars Banquet) Released 25/09/06

An eponymous debut album from a London three-piece with a grounding in all manner of rock stylings - from Neu, Can and Tortoise, to Spiritualised and Velvet Underground. The Early Years are David Malkinson, Roger Mackin and Phil Raines who banded together just in late 2004, and have been doing the handshake with the tickle finger to radio jocks Steve Lamacq and XFM's John Kennedy, supporting Electralane and playing the festies at Latitude, Tapestry and Truck, plus bagged a soundtracking of a recent Nike world cup ad. 

'All Ones And Zeros' has the pomp rock-chords aplenty with guitar washes and fug, the lyrics veiled muslin- thin and bringing a generation clash of sound like Hawkwind road-charging Kaiser Chiefs full-pelter, ka-pow! Mellow moments are encountered with 'Things' -  smooth chocolate vocals and the Velvets influences used with a soulful delivery and a thrashed denouement; 'Song For Elizabeth' may be of lost love, yet moves sluggish with a smoochy song for the groupies to hanker after - "...you've got me running around/ I want you for my baby..."; and 'High Times and Low Lives' features the building of various power chords in parentheses with a firm bass g.php and no pussy-footing about. 'The Simple Solution' has the stomping space-rock signatures and 'Brown Hearts' the sweet plea with the cryptic "..brown hearts/ and smiles/ for me..." on a torchsong that becomes a sonic air raid.

Sonics are further explored with 'Musik Der Fruhen Jahre' paying the homage card to Neu and electonic kosmische - an instrumental number sounding tasty with soundscape qualities, effects and programming; and 'So Far Gone' featuring riffing rock arpeggios and thrashy hazy purple qualities inspired by the movie Dig! 'Harmonic Interlude' is just that, like a slice of Eno cake - ambient, textural and short. 'This Ain't Happiness' is a mellow number to close the curtains with an acoustic guitar melody, a song and a dash.

There's lots of rockin' good tracks laden here for Fender-heads from a band with scope and a rosy future if they can hold it together and get tucked up in time. Lots of the grounded cosmic-rock flavours, daubed walls of sound and early beginnings from a promising act to take up Spiritualised's barstools.