Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 06/03/06
Label: Rough Trade

How did we arrive at the concept of "the difficult second album"? Once upon a yesteryear, bands were afforded the luxury of freedom to noodle about, pay their dues and flex their muscles until they chanced upon their unique signature sound. Oh, and of course shed loads of record label cash helped things along, too. Now, in a post post-Britpop world where Noel Gallagher's theory that biggest equals best has become an industry maxim, record companies are no longer prepared to play the long game as they look toward short term rewards and instant financial gratification.

Southampton quartet Delays are no different, though, thankfully, their follow-up difficulties have arisen from an entirely different quarter. Firstly, an American sojourn with Franz Ferdinand nearly resulted in the demise of an - ahem - overly refreshed Aaron Gilbert and upon their return the unfortunate keyboardist was rumoured to have allegedly lost the recorded fruits of their labour, thus necessitating a brand new and painstaking restart to their sophomore effort.

At least in the form of singer-guitarist Greg Gilbert, Delays possess a songwriter of vision and taste. Speaking to your correspondent at the end of 2004, Gilbert declared his intention to broaden his influences to include the dance sensibility of Prince and the pop nous of Abba and it's an approach that's successfully writ large over "You See Colours". As the arpeggiated strings of "You And Me" take flight from the speakers with Gilbert's gorgeous falsetto still owing more to Elizabeth Frazer than Jeff Buckley, it's immediately evident that here's an album that's lighter, brighter and yes, more colourful than its predecessor.

While the soaring "Out Of Nowhere" and delightful harmonies of "Sink Like A Stone" pick up the pace from where debut album "Faded Seaside Glamour" left off, there are enough surprises here to show a band itching to move onwards. "Valentine" is a colossally irresistible disco monster that shamelessly waves its hands in the air without caring who's looking and elsewhere, the double whammy of "Winter's Memory Of Summer" and "Given Time" revive the rock-dance interface that was perfected to such divine effect by the "Brotherhood" - era New Order.

"You See Colours" is a delicious pop confection that, in plotting a course that flies in the face of today's prevailing trends, makes such light work of the follow-up that it could go some way in reviving the once-fashionable notion of "the difficult third album".

    by James Marshall