By Russell Barker

Back in the day I used to love American bands like Buffalo Tom and the Smoking Popes who produced emotional, heartfelt power pop/rock epic tunes. Every one had great lyrics, a killer tune and that innate ability to make you sing along at the top of your voice, no matter how badly you sing. Imagine my surprise and delight to find a band still purveying all these qualities. Dropzines album 'Between Sheets And Walls' is chock full of great alternative rock tunes, workmanlike yet beautiful just like the aforementioned Buffalo Tom.

Stand out tracks have to be the charmingly ramshackle 'Sad Tuesday', a song that appears to have a lot more time than most to make its point. There's also 'At The Party' that shows that Dropzines do melancholia aswell as Trashcan Sinatras used to and 'Purple Sandals' that displays west coast pop sensibilities to rival Teenage Fanclub.

If you like a great melody, but don't have time for anodyne boy bands then you won't go far wrong picking up the Dropzines album.