Cousteau's debut LP finally gets an Irish release, and about bloody time too, Guv'nor. The London-based collective have been clocking up superlatives across the pond like they were going out of fashion, drawing comparisons with everyone from Scott Walker to Tindersticks.

Being already familiar with the mesmerising 'The Last Good Day Of The Year', I expected great things from Cousteau and, truth be told, ended up feeling a big let down. With the exception of fellow single, 'She Don't Hear Your Prayer' and the brilliant 'Wish You Were Her', there is little else here with anything like the former tune's sheer swaggering confidence. All too often, Cousteau seem content to make do with jazzy doodles with there is a far more interesting and broader canvas just out of reach.

On the positive side, 'One Good Reason' is a hugely enjoyable mid-paced singalong, even if it does drag on a bit, while the awfully-named 'You My Lunar Queen' is, in fact, a wonderfully ponderous piece for piano and violin, which is for the most part instrumental. The closing 'Of This Goodbye' really showcases McKahey's classy vocal phrasing over a beautifully bittersweet ballad.

Cousteau have a great sound: they are undoubtedly fine musicians and in McKahey, they possess a natural frontman with one hell of a voice. When they have the songs to back their talent up, they are a mighty force, but this collection sags a bit in the songwriting department and needs perhaps another three killer tunes to raise it above the merely interesting and take it into the realms of prescribed listening.