The Fixx would be easy to swallow if it only played instrumentals. Poised, polished and ultimately passionless, the sugary funk-rock of Walkabout would slide right down the gullet sans lyrics. But no way: The Fixx has the burning urge to Communicate. "Use your soul read between the lines," implores singer and lyricist Cy Curnin. Maybe mine needs cleansing; I couldn't get past the lines themselves.

"Secret Separation" begins the LP on a reasonably coherent note (it was written by an outsider). It's either a lovelorn hymn about reincarnation or the canniest kiss-off wheeze in ages. "I am the stranger who deserts you only to love you in another life" – later for you, baby. After that, the going gets a bit, uh, conceptual.

"Treasure It" proffers a calm, vaguely Buddhist outlook on life ("When you're feeling insecure do you treasure it?"), though the oft-repeated chorus – "Feel the pull, feel the swing" – gets dizzying after a while. That's profound compared to the title track. Chirping about a mysterious "rock" that "gives me all the answers," Curnin sounds like he's been conked in the noggin with this fount of inspiration.

How else do you explain touching moments like "Camphor"? "There's a lonely dog so misunderstood/He's left his chores to become someone's friend." Or "Sense the Adventure," a pop equivalent of the insanity plea: "Break down the walls of the institution/I'm going to let my paganism out." Then there's "Built for the Future," a four-minute time capsule that more than fulfills its chorus: "It doesn't mean much now/It's built for the future." Yeah, let them try and decipher the Fixx. (RS 478/479)

MARK COLEMAN