's debut album as is filled to the brim with doe-eyed heavenly melodies, whiny singing, and wacky lyrics, and it's catchy in the all the right ways. At the same time, the album suffers from a certain sameness, and there seems to be no off switch when it comes to 's search for the perfect hook. Where one would expect a quiet change of pace, doesn't relent and simply piles on more and more exuberant instrumentation. sounds like it was recorded by some illegitimate, hybrid amalgamation of , , and , all bands who are known more for their melodies and catchiness than their subtlety. When is firing on all cylinders, his music is immensely exhilarating. is certainly whiny, but punctuates his vocals with the melody to the point where the song becomes one harmonic beast. is equally sublime in its pretty, all-over-map attack, as sings "hold on to loneliness" and a child's choir provides a delicate backdrop. That is a bombastic ride is both its strongest selling point and its Achilles' heel. is an extremely talented songwriter, and if was just a bit more varied and about 20 minutes shorter, it would be a thing of excellence. As it stands, 's debut is an interesting, occasionally brilliant dose of modern British . ~ Tim DiGravina