Brothers Past - This Feeling's Called Goodbye (Collective)

The plot is thickened further with one of the band's earlier works being described by one American hack as "one of the first great post-Phish trance-fusion albums and sounds like Pink Floyd jamming with Sacha and Digweed in Brian Eno's bedroom."

Sounds interesting, eh? And This Feeling's Called Goodbye is a very interesting album, although comparisons with the likes of Pink Floyd and Brian Eno should be immediately quashed in case anyone is getting all hot and sweaty about the prospect of that.

With ex-Lenny Kravitz and Dave Matthews Band producer Jon Altschiller behind the controls, this album is a very polished piece of work and much more song-orientated than you might imagine from their previous description as a jam-band.

If you were to try to put Brothers Past circa 2006 into a box it could be one with a label saying rocktronica on the side; their songs are very complex pop-rock affairs doused in synthesisers and all kinds of funny sounds from front man Tom Hamilton's laptop.

The album opens with Leave The Light On and a synth line reminiscent of something you might hear at Eurovision. Fortunately it does get better when a sudden change sees the introduction of Hamilton's gruff vocal over some dance breakbeats. There is certainly a lot going on in what is a good dance-tinged indie opener.

There is lots to listen out for throughout this album, with some interesting keyboard structures during One Rabbit Race before a surprise sudden ending and then the swirly electronica and gorgeous middle piano segment on the dreamlike Celebrity.

It would be fair to say that it is the music rather than the vocal melodies that catch the eye (or should that be the ear?) during the 12-track release. None of the songs are going to trouble the charts, but all make you want to listen - if only for elements like the mesmorising way acoustic guitar is fused with driving dance beat on Forget You Know Me.

You are never quite sure what is around the corner, with a reggae section during Simple Gift Of Man coming as a surprise just as does the spiky Too Late To Call, the only track where the electronics are put to one side in favour of rocking out.

Harmony laden Year Of The Horse is a highlight, featuring some very jolly keyboard work, as is the extremely un-jolly, and verging on creepy, Words Like Weapons. The album is also cleverly broken up by two short instrumental tracks - Inhale and Exhale. The latter is particularly impressive, a brilliant slice of folktronica that breezes in and whisks you away to the sea.

If the opening song on the album was rather clich�d, mimicking Eurovision (whether intentionally or not), the last song, Everything Must Go, finishes in a similarly corny way. A beat-heavy number with at the same time a nod to the Flaming Lips, it ends with all of the instruments suddenly being cut out and the word "goodbye" being sung.

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