Only The Stronest Will Survive

Only The Strongest Will Survive (Creation)

With a line-up that includes former Ride guitarslinger Andy Bell, it's a fairly safe assumption that the second album from Hurricane #1 is going to have loads of crashing guitars, soaring guitars, scorching guitars, grinding guitars and then some more guitars thrown in for good measure. And yes folks, that is pretty much the case. But there's more to this band than simply guitars, with drum loops, scratches and other vibey effects thrown into the equation.

Unfortunately, the end result is more like Oasis with a beatbox than Primal Scream. From the slightly spaced out intro, through bog-standard tracks like 'Separation Sunday' or 'Come Alive', Hurricane #1 aren't exactly adding anything to the genre. And the acoustic 'The Price That We Pay' is as unexciting as it gets.

On the other hand, the bittersweet 'Greatest High' owes a lot more to the Gallagher Brothers, with Alex Lowe's vocals echoing the younger Mancunian unibrow's pubrockery. They're taking lyric lessons from Noel, too, if the blissed out 'What Do I Know?' is anything to go by: "I will never let you down/ My feet, they barely touch the ground." Thankfully, there's nothing quite of the blister/sister/kissed her variety, however.

It's not all grim. On 'Remote Control', the dancey drum loops and searing guitar drive the song onwards, but it is the use of space, the uncluttered arrangement, which allows it to work so well. The title track is remixed with a string section and a dollop of drums, and it's still a great song, despite being infamously used in a TV ad for The Sun. 'Long Way Down' succeeds in doing a passable Primals impersonation, while the soulful 'Twilight World' sounds like a completely different band from the rest of the album.

In patches, Hurricane #1 manage to hit the spot, but all too often their attempts at sonic overhaul fail to hold the attention past the second chorus. Like a Hurricane? I don't think so.