Album: Cosmic Rough Riders

With their sun-drenched harmonies and breezy guitars, this Glasgow four-piece may sound as though they hail from the west coast of America, but their lyrical sentiments are unmistakably Scottish. "We've been waiting so long for summertime/ To justify the rain," sighs Stephen Fleming, who seems to have been promoted from lead guitarist to singer since the band's last release. Going on this evidence, you wouldn't exactly call the new line-up progress. If anything, Too Close to See Far is a step back from the edgy, bittersweet anthems found on 2000's Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine. For a start, Fleming and friends are far too proud of their vocal harmonies - "Tomorrow May Never Come", with its Beach Boys pastiche, is infuriating - and the wilful cheeriness of their melodies soon starts to grate. There's a pervading aimlessness to the album, with the pace remaining constant and Fleming's vocals achieving little in the way of emotional range. Lyrically, things are a little more promising. This could be their touchy-feely record - "Sunrise" and "She's Never Around" are about emotional dependency, while "Because You" and "There's Nothing Wrong" both mournfully anticipate the end of a relationship. At their best, Cosmic Rough Riders echo Teenage Fanclub or early REM, but all too often they veer into the middle of the road and end up sounding like Travis. Ah, well.