The Invitation - Thirteen Senses

Thirteen Senses came onto the scene with this excellent debut album in 2005. Combining the skill for a melody with the instinct for an epic (albeit within 5 minutes), this record promised great things for the band from the south-west. It starts strongly with singles 'Into The Fire' and 'Thru The Glass', relatively upbeat, powerful pieces of guitar-pop. After the more melancholy 'Gone' comes 'Do No Wrong', in my view the album's stand-out track. The album then takes a turn for the more balladic, and at this point the casual listener might switch off. But it's worth persisting, as later tracks turn out, after a few listens, to be real gems, in particular 'Lead ...