Behaviour

The songs themselves have moved on from neediness and seediness to far more adult themes; opening tracks "Being Boring" and "This Must Be the Place I Waited Years To Leave", with their lyrics of reminiscence, fond and otherwise, set the tone for the next 50 minutes. There are gently melodic songs of betrayal-"To Face The Truth", "Only The Wind"--and more upbeat variations on the same theme in "So Hard" and the string-laden "Jealousy" and a touching tale of first attraction in "Nervously". The album's only real downer comes in the pompous shape of "My October Symphony", a wincingly pretentious thing which suggests the band have fallen prey to the kind of po-faced muso nonsense they poke fun at in "How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously".

Behaviour is possibly the best album for fans of Neil and Chris' more circumspect outpourings; what it lacks in upbeat anthems and disco production it more than makes up for in intelligent, introspective song writing. And with a bonus CD of 12 remixes and B-sides, it's a must-have for anyone who likes their pop meticulously crafted and shrewdly lyrical. --Rikki Price