Enter Shikari: 'Common Dreads'

When the late, great Anthony H. Wilson said that Enter Shikari were "the most exciting new band in the world" and as good as the Sex Pistols, we were always going to take his comments with more than a pinch of salt. Wilson could talk a fantastic record - regardless of whether or not the band he was pimping had actually recorded one. On listening to Enter Shikari, it wasn't too much of a surprise to find that the music didn't quite live up to their billing. Their mix of dancey synths and hardcore was certainly fun and edgy, but not nearly as wildly innovative or exciting as we'd been led to believe. Better than Linkin Park, but not as good as the Deftones. Much more quirky than 100 Reasons, but not as appealingly strange as Nine Inch Nails or early Marilyn Manson.

Admirably, and despite the top five success of their debut Take To The Skies, follow-up Common Dreads is also released on the band's own Ambush Reality label - and there's not a second on the album that you don't feel the group are playing exactly what they want. At a time when it's easy to be cynical about most bands, it's that genuine, Wilson-esque independent spirit that inspires such affection for Enter Shikari. The music itself, however, is a bit more hit and miss. At its best, it's a compelling mix of Atari Teenage Riot electronics and At The Drive-In melodies. At its worst, all the fast-slow-fast, loud-quiet-loud shouting and beeping can get very wearying indeed.

Fortunately, over the 50-minute playing time there's enough variety to keep things entertaining. The trad alt-rock of 'No Sleep Tonight' and 'Gap In The Fence' and the Digital Hardcore-inspired 'Zzzonked', 'Havoc A' and 'Havoc B' rub shoulders with the sharp shouty bursts of 'Step Up', 'Antwerpen' and the appropriately-titled 'Hectic'. Meanwhile, the amusing 'Solidarity' contrasts Rou Reynolds' great singing voice with his less listenable metal shriek and vocal effects that are presumably meant to sound foreboding, but actually bring to mind a Doctor Who baddie.

But the standout track here is lead single 'Juggernauts'. Featuring a breakcore intro, humongous riffs and talky Mike Skinner vignettes, it's a perfect example of what Enter Shikari do best, and a pretty fair representation of the rest of the record. While the band themselves have made much of the political content of the album, it's probably best not listen too closely. Enter Shikari are at their most appealing when they're making a godawful racket underlaid with beats and melodies and overlaid with lots of angry sloganeering.