James — Hey Ma

It's a shame the campus pub popularity of James' "Laid" will forever doom them to a place in barfing-by-the-quad soundtrack Hades next to Spirit Of The West, The Proclaimers and Violent Femmes because the band have always been so much more sophisticated than that. Sure, the oft-repeated line "Hey Ma, the boys in a body bag, coming home in pieces" from the title track of the band's first album in seven years ranks as rather obvious social commentary, but every now and then you need to bludgeon to get your point across. "Oh My Heart" is a bit more in the pocket. It's sweetly melodious in the same way that Coldplay use to trick secretaries, but it's way better because, well, it's not Coldplay. The standouts, though, are a pair of thematically connected I'm-lonely/missing-you gems "I Wanna To Go Home" and the breathtaking "Upside." The latter, in particular, ranks among the best songs James have ever done. It's a surprisingly solid and entirely welcome comeback album from these Manchester vets.

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