With mild-mannered indie officially en vogue, it's surprising that Haven haven't quite reaped the rewards bestowed on their competitors. To attain this Holy Grail though, they need to address the lack of confidence in their ranks.
Ignoring that for a second, your appraisal of "All For A Reason" will depend on your past encounters with Gary Briggs' men. Haven newcomers will find an LP of pleasing, if largely inoffensive, jangling melody ("Change Direction", "Something Moved Me"), with a modicum of experimentation (the title track) and a batch of recent nostalgia (Travis, Stereophonics et al).
Sadly, for those already familiar with the band's impressive debut "Between The Senses" and their 'hit', "Say Something", Haven's infuriating failure to nail a meaningful identity or to record that elusive epic, will be a major letdown.
Haven could be a real force but they're still missing a major ingredient - balls. The opener aside, the best tracks are easily "What Love Is" and "Together's Better" - the former making some case for those missing 'family jewels' and the latter arguably supplying the album's only real exhibition of raw emotion.
They have other weaknesses, notably their insistence on borrowing heavily yet failing to construct much from the pieces. Briggs' solid if unspectacular warble isn't helped either by unimaginative guitar work or by a wafer thin production (courtesy of Johnny Marr).
In this respect, they are the indie equivalent of Feeder – a likeable bunch of blokes desperate to make a great record but saddled with a workmanlike attitude.
That aside, "All For A Reason" will plug the gap until your summer soundtrack arrives even if it won't be bothering the 'album of the year' panel. Chances are you'll catch yourself whistling any number of these tracks - remembering who the band are might prove a touch harder.
