Luck

The south Wales sextet's second album catches them still pursuing the perfect West Coast vibe that hallmarked their debut, and which captured ears as far apart as Elton John (who called the band to tell them how much he loved them) and the producers of One Tree Hill. Which means that nobody who fell in love with the Storys the first time around is going to be disappointed. The opening "Everybody Wants You to Make It" sets the scene with infectious zeal, a mood rendered all the more effective by "Daylight Calls Again," a song that would have dignified any early Neil Young album, but which sounds as fresh as they do. And so on through an album of warmth, melancholy, exquisite musicianship, and harmonies, and genuinely memorable words and music. Yes, it remains evocative of something that you've heard a thousand times before, and the best of it dances just on the edge of memory. But that's a stance that too few bands can pull off successfully -- making a record that you know you're going to love, before you've even heard it through. The Storys have been called "south Wales' answer to the Eagles," but in many ways, they're a lot better than that. ~ Dave Thompson