Two years ago, it looked like Morrissey-championed Manchester outfit The Courteeners were set to become the latest addition to the ladrock hit parade. Unfortunately for Liam Fray and co. it didn’t quite work out that way (largely because their debut St Jude was pants) and they vanished, seemingly into obscurity. Falcon is their second stab at success and while it’s not quite the triumph the band were hoping for, it’s much better than their unimaginative first release.
Throughout the 12 tracks, the band sound a bit like Arctic Monkeys on downers. That said, Fray has a talent for penning great lines that lift the likes of ‘Take Over The World’ into the stratosphere (“I looked into her eyes and I swore/I’ve never written a cliché before/And I’ll probably never do so/She was beautiful though” he croons during the first few bars). Album highlight is the swaggering ‘You Overdid It Doll’ – a cross between ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy’ and ‘Shoplifters Of The World Unite’. It showcases how far the band have progressed. If The Courteeners continue to mature at this pace then we can’t wait for album number three. Maybe Morrissey got it right after all.