Promised Land - The Best of Skeletal Family

It's official! Keighley's finest goth rockers Skeletal Family, pictured, are back from the dead.

And in case you had forgotten why the band enjoyed so much success in the first place, topping the indie chart above the likes of New Order and The Smiths, here is a reminder.

Promised Land is part of a Goth Collectors series and chronicles the band's progression from their early indie releases right through to the major label singles with Chrysalis.

Early songs like Trees and She Cries Alone sound pretty rough and ready, but give an indication of the band's burgeoning talent with a sound not too dissimilar from early Cure stuff.

Anne-Marie Hurst's remarkable voice moves constantly from a whisper to a scream, and is underpinned by Stan Greenwood's driving guitar and Trotwood's tight bass lines.

This is a fine and comprehensive back catalogue that should appeal to both staunch fans and a new generation of goths in their best Marilyn Manson tee shirts.

RICHARD BRUGGER

ALBUM: Craig Armstrong

It's fair to assume that Armstrong isn't short of a bob or two these days.

The Scottish composer, renowned for fusing traditional orchestration with modern beats, hit the big time last year when contributing a considerable portion to the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge.

Like Michael Nyman he surrounds himself with trendy young things to boost his credibility, collaborating with the likes of Mogwai, Evan Dando and David McAlmont, while maintaining a certain classical snobbery.

His latest album As If To Nothing is a typical example of style over substance.

Imagine a pompous American film score mixed by Jive Bunny let loose in Massive Attack's recording studio and you will begin to get the picture.

Armstrong has used every trick in the book, Gaelic chants reminiscent of Gladiator, weepy over-indulgent strings straight out of Titanic, clumsily blended with fashionable technology.

It's flash, ostentatious and embarrassingly pretentious, there's no such thing as subtlety here even the delicate moments are ruined by garish production.

JAMES HEWARD

Saloon - "(This Is) What We Call Progress"

Yes, there are a few strictly independent record labels still out there still managing to make a difference.

Track And Field, who groomed Tompaulin for a while, have now spawned another intelligent offering under the name Saloon. They're a four piece from Reading who have been performing to a choice selection of box bedroom rebels for a good four years now.

This debut album is an emotive and humour filled journey through Belle and Sebastian instrumentation and classic retro indie, that spans the last two decades.

Although the underground scene is buzzing with this kind of thing at the moment, Saloon are diverse enough to stand out, employing rich folk influences with a futuristic hint of moog that nods in the direction of Stereolab. The songs Bicycle Thieves and Girls Are The New Boys, employ this to the full.

James Heward

Lorien - Under The Waves

I really tried to like it! I'd read the reviews in the adverts for the album and they said how there were 'musical echoes' of Talk Talk'. Even the NME had recommended them as one of 34 bands to look out for in 2002.

I came to the album expecting the tenderness of Badly Drawn Boy mixed with the fragility of Belle and Sebastian. What I was left with was a bemusement as to why this band have been so lauded. Too polished and calculated I thought. It was as though someone had written down a list of what 'anthems of love and loss' should sound like and then had a go at recreating them.

The singer sounded both fey, vocally reminiscent of lead singer from JJ72 and amazingly pompous. The lush orchestration was instantly forgettable and predictable. Even on repeated listens the album failed to stir anything in me. There wasn't one stand out track and the album just began to merge into one long angstfest (or would have liked to think it did).

ANTONY SILSON