Liverpool cult survivors Shack stage something of a comeback, rescued from limbo by Noel Gallagher and seemingly free from the drugs that have made Michael and John Head's live performances so erratic over the years.

On record, they are always a cut above the average, and this is no different.

The blueprint remains the same; comic tales from the Scouse underbelly (Cup Of Tea), Sixties-style guitars (the Love/Bryds-flavoured Black And White).

The influence of Mr Davis the Miles of the album title looms large, as it has since the Head brothers' days in the Pale Fountains, and accounts for the best two tracks Butterfly and Shelley Brown.

Such excellence isn't sustained throughout, and the lyrics aren't all that good.

Still, the very fact that songwriters of this status keep going despite worldwide apathy is cause for celebration.