THE GREAT LEAP

Perhaps my least favourite of the Phideaux albums I have sampled so far, The Great Leap was apparently recorded in the same sessions as the brilliant Doomsday Afternoon - in which case I can only regard The Great Leap as a warm-up exercise, because nothing on there really compares to the brilliance of its followup either in terms of style (Doomsday Afternoon is a symphonic affair built around long songs, this offers up an artsy sort of occasionally-Gothy alternative rock) or quality. It's not terrible - I listen to the end and feel broadly satisfied, there aren't any songs which I find myself desperate to skip - but it's not brilliant either. I guess Phideaux realised after these two that their proggy side is really where their heart is because both Number 7 and Snowtorch have concentrated on that rather than trying to continue the side of their sound that's expressed on here.