WITHOUT Feathers sees Canadian band The Stills rip up the form book and start again.

The follow-up to the impressive and edgy Logic, Without Feathers takes an entirely new direction - and lives to tell the tale.

While their debut tended to wallow in the darker arts, this is positively cheerful. In The Beginning gets this 13-tracker off to a lively start, while The House We Live In and Halo The Harpoons continue the theme.

The Stills haven't completely forsaken gloom, as In The End demonstrates, but they are a happier bunch.

It's been a long time coming from The Thrills - three years since they released Let's Bottle Bohemia and, yes, it is worth the wait.

This Dublin five-piece have that rare ability of moulding a catchy melody with intelligent lyrics, and the result is a superb collection of tracks, with Should Have Known Better the real gem.

Conor Deasy's distinctive, gravel-like vocals sometimes grate, but The Thrills' simple formula of short, sharp rock socks remains a winner.