With thundering tom-toms and meaty riffs providing a fine bed for Richard Butler's vocals, Love Spit Love opens on a high note. On "Seventeen" the singer ladles out typically arm's-length lyrics ("I'm gonna keep the names that I use for myself to myself"), and his new band seems a world away from his previous outfit, the Psychedelic Furs. But the track loses steam under a falsetto rant that sounds like a bad Monty Python impression. That opener provides a blueprint for an album in which compelling moments are often sabotaged by bad judgment.

Love Spit Love is a grab bag of styles and textures, and weaker numbers dominate: "Half a Life," with its strummed acoustics and tinkly mandolin, is pleasant but bland; "Please" is AOR worthy of Bryan Adams. With his vocals ranging from weary to caustic to weary, Butler's blunt melodies are better served in the understated, bittersweet "Am I Wrong." Sadly, striking lyrics ("I hear their lies flowing through my teeth") are too often dragged down by inane ones ("The only thing we know that'll come for sure is change").

Nearly all is forgiven, however, because of the atmospheric "Codeine." Supple acoustic guitar work from Richard Fortus, solid support from drummer Frank Ferrer and bassist Tim Butler and a vocal that almost swings make for a breathtaking number – tension builds slowly, drums crash in just when you expect them. Along with the calculated circus-sideshow charm of "Jigsaw" and other moments, "Codeine" demonstrates the best this band is capable of. Still, Love Spit Love promise more for the future than they deliver right now. (RS 697)

GEOFFREY WELCHMAN