Silver Scooter

Just a few weeks after the Goodbye EP turned up as a taste of what to expect, Silver Scooter's third album, The Blue Law, has appeared, and it doesn't really have any surprises if you happened to hear the EP; just a whole lot more of the same. But that's okay, because their jangly guitar pop comes across like a breath of fresh air in today's musical environment because there aren't a whole lot of other bands doing this kind of thing these days. So thank goodness for Silver Scooter and their penchant for melody. The majority of the songs are upbeat, although the lyrics tend to be kind of downbeat and melancholy - the stark contrast between those two things help to draw you in. The New Order influence is still very obvious, as the songs are driven along by similar bass lines and singer Scott Garred has more than a bit of Bernard Sumner in his voice. They don't quite manage to sustain the momentum over the entire album; "Goodbye," from the EP, is still the high spot but there are a few other contenders to the crowned and there's nothing that could be described as a dud. The weaker songs tend to be the slower ones, hinting that if they kept with their strengths then things would be fine. Still, that's a small setback and The Blue Law still manages to come out smelling of very melodic roses.