Cherry Falls are a band so far removed from the current musical zeitgeist you'd find it hard pressed to saddle them alongside any of the current record store compartmentalization sections. While they don't fit into the 80s re-enactment club of the Killers, The Bravery and the Departure; they're far removed from the plodding mundanety of Keane and Snow Patrol. In many ways Cherry Falls slide readily into the territory of "Good Feeling" and "The Man Who" era Travis. The bite and raucous energy of "Happy" and U16 Girls" still present, but the melodies and scope of songs like "Driftwood" and "Why Does It Always Rain On Men".

"My Drug" is a song cloyingally obvious that it should be banished to hell for making the connection between drugs / addictions and love. The fact that it does so and isn't filled with the mawkish sentimentality (ok, maybe a little bit) it could have been is a credit to Cherry Falls main songwriter Joe McAdam. "Standing Watching" is the sort of tune that used to fill up indie disco's when Lamacq was in his infancy and Zane Lowe was probably shouting all over Spice Girls records in New Zealand. With line's like "When I find you I'm gonna f**k you up. I don't like you" it's far removed from the sensible attitude label this band have had attached to them, but you can see why people often mistake them for this when the melodies ring out. On "In Your Arms Again" and "Bound To Lose" they sound like early U2 eased up the effects pedals and playing the songs the way they were meant to be played.

With a collection of great songs (and songtitles which sound like old Lemonheads songs), Cherry Falls have won through the cynics and kids too cool for school. Whether it's the little touches like the xylophone on "Buy Yourself A Dream" or the harmonica on "Do It Yourself" or it's just the sheer craft of the songwriting, "Winter/Winter" is an album that's heart-warming and real. With the right break they could come through from "band mostly likely to" to the band that have it all

Alex McCann