Giving the Game Away

's fifth album, , was an unexpectedly mellow affair, trading in most of the hard rock bombast that characterized the British band's prior releases for slower tempos, unusual restraint, and lots of acoustic guitars. At their most "aggressive" (though "urgent" is a more ideal descriptive), the band delivers what amounts to radio-friendly, middle of the road rock, which isn't to say there's not much to like about examples such as the mildly muscular and opener (even if it basically updates 's ). But the bulk of is committed to laid-back guitar strummin' punctured by 's incisive lead-stabs (see etc.), and interspersed with sparsely arranged, heart-aching ballads ( etc.). The only novelties include a stroll through on the psych-tinged title track, and an eyebrow-raising, shockingly faithful cover of 's disco-funk classic, which can only be viewed as a good laugh (or a good cry, depending on the listener). Even amid this wholesale change of musical tact, however, one can still hear 's natural songwriting instincts and versatile musicianship shining through. But sadly, not too many listeners bothered to do so, and after witnessing by far the worst sales results of their career, quietly split the following year for what would end up being a two-year hiatus. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia