TURIN Brakes' debut, The Optimist LP, was one of those records that emerge fully-formed from nowhere, a subtle gem, owing little to any obvious influence but sounding instantly familiar.

Their spaced-out acoustic folk pop managed to be utterly contemporary, more clubland chill-out session than folk club, blending a summery, ambient sound with dark and quirky lyrics. And the first single from this follow-up album, the excellent Painkiller, was cause for optimism, with all the elements in place, Olly Knights's distinct raw-edged voice, Gale Paridjanian's chiming guitars and a harmony-laden chorus. But Ether Song, recorded in LA with Beck and Air producer Tony Hoffer, falls into the "difficult second album" trap. Melodies abound, but the band's inspiration seems to be waning. Hoffer's production doesn't help - smoothing the edges out of the voice and the guitars and mixing in random electronic effects at every possible juncture leaves you suspecting he's missed the point. As to the songs, there are plenty of moments where something great starts to happen, then it falls back into being nothing more than pleasant background music. Painkiller is the best song by a mile, on a good but should-have-been-better, second album.

Updated: 08:44 Thursday, March 13, 2003