After the diversion of Cinerama, Gedge brought the Wedding Present name out of retirement three years ago, and it was like saying hello to an old friend. The trademark Gedge lyrics were still as witty, poignant and articulate as ever. And considering how maligned the band were in their heyday, it was interesting to see how influential The Wedding Present sounded in the 21st Century (it's a fair bet that Alex Turner, for one, may well have heard a Weddoes album or two).

El Rey cranks up the nostalgia a touch by reuniting the band with Steve Albini, producer of arguably their greatest album Seamonsters. Yet while that particular opus was a dark, sometimes uncomfortable listen, El Rey is a bit lighter - albeit with the requisite layer of heartbreak lying just underneath.

Recorded in West Hollywood, El Rey possesses no shortage of references to America and US culture. Spiderman, Winona Ryder, Pacific Palisades and the Santa Monica Freeway all receive namechecks in what are some of Gedge's finest lyrics to date. Opener Santa Ana Winds sets out familiar territory - a guilt-ridden Gedge attempting (and failing) to resist the charms of a temptress, soundtracked by the Albini trademark of loud drums and grinding guitars.

Spiderman In Hollywood has a superb jangly introduction that recalls the glory days of Kennedy and Brassneck before Gedge wittily shows up the absurdities of Hollywood from the point of view of an ex-pat Leeds lad: "I thought I saw Winona Ryder, but my eyes were playing tricks again ". It's all set to a ridiculously catchy melody that powers along quite beautifully.

In fact, although neither Gedge nor Albini have been noted for their commercial touch, there are several tracks here that could easily be hits - Don't Take Me Home Until I'm Drunk and The Thing I Like Most About Him Is His Girlfriend. The latter in particular - probably the quintessential Gedge title - could give Scouting For Girls lessons in how to write an non-annoying song about an unattainable woman.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Wedding Present album if Gedge didn't have a few songs about heartbreak up his sleeve. I Lost The Monkey sees him pleading with a former lover to take him back ("I just want you back, this has all been a mistake") while Don't Take Me Home Until I'm Drunk tells the sad tale of a flirtation with a woman who ends up getting back with her fiancee - 'tis ever the way with the boy Gedge.

There's also humour here though - Model Actress Whatever sees Gedge infatuated with a girl on the internet ("when I look at you, it's just a Jpeg"), while Soup ends bizarrely with the cry of "No soup for you, no soup for you". There's barely a song goes by in which Gedge's clever conversational style always manages to raise a wry smile. Even a heartbreakingly sad track like Boo Boo - which sees Gedge staying in touch with his ex, even though she's now with someone else, in the forlorn hope that they'll get back together - has a warmth and humanity about it.

There's even a curveball from left-field thrown in right at the end on Swingers when former Cinerama cohert and ex-Goya Dress member Terry De Castro takes lead vocals on what sounds periously close to a lounge ballad - but with the typically Wedding Present-esque lyrics of heartbreak and betrayal. It's an interesting way to end the album, if slightly unsettling.

It's true that El Rey probably won't tempt any newcomers or sceptics into the church of Gedge, but any Wedding Present fan will be more than satisfied. Gedge and Albini is a match made in heaven, and El Rey is an excellent follow-up to one of their finest works together.

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