In James' recent dotmusic interview, singer Tim Booth discussed the tension in their music between pop and experimentation. James seem to be backing away from pop on this album; it's just unfortunate that their chosen alternative often seems to be stadium rock.
The first 90-odd seconds of the first track, 'Space' sound rather like recent Radiohead, but the song then drifts off into one of those big, windy Simple Minds-like choruses that James resort to rather too readily. If you didn't know that they were planning to play lots of festivals this summer, you could easily have guessed. Large parts of this album sound as if designed specifically to be played to fields full of semi-comatose revellers.
However, repeated plays reveal some subtle charms. James have clearly been listening to some trip-hop and chilled-out dance music; several tracks here could easily be remixed for the clubs. 'Fine', which comes complete with a great shuffling percussion track, positively begs for a dancefloor makeover.
When James take risks, the album's best moments often result. 'Junkie' is a tense examination of compulsive behaviour that benefits from having Booth's voice apparently recorded on an answerphone. 'Give It Away' doesn't sound like anything else on this album, but does sound remarkably like The Go-Betweens - which can never be a bad thing.
'Pleased To Meet You' is no masterpiece, but it does reveal a veteran band still growing, still tentatively exploring. If they're a bit bolder next time round, then their 20th anniversary tour could be well worth catching.
