On the surface, The Scratch coul be just another indie band, but once you get past the first three or four tunes on Night Bus Or Milk Train, you realise that something a little bit special is going on here. They come across like a mildly nu-pink version of The Coral, tightly crafted guitar pop music interwoven with the odd synth or sample – not overused in the slightest. ‘Stranger’ even takes a different course and sounds very Eighties, like Midge Ure with new toys on Christmas. The guitar work is excellent, there are some damn fine riffs on this record and they seem genuinly keen to do something just a little bit different. In every verse you can hear shades of influences ranging from The Libertines to The Human League. The real gems are in the second half of the album, ‘Out Faking The Fakers’ and ‘Smell The Gas Taps’ being highlights. It’s a fine effort from the Manchester quartet, and one that sounds like things are only just beginning.
