Now here is something refreshing; a band releasing their second album, the first of which was blighted by its production and one-dimensional feel, returning to the sound that made their earlier material sound so welcoming.

The problem is, however refreshing the production of the album is, The Open still have a certain something missing. Maybe that it seems that every foray from dead-centre MOR pop-rock sounds forced. Even tracks like the Doves-come-Boxer Rebellion single 'We Can Never Say Goodbye' sound uneasy, while full-on trips into the embankments such as 'Forever' are almost completely ruined by the band's rigid songwriting. There are moments when The Open manage to drive their knowingly epic-rock home, such as the searing chorus of 'Seasons Of The Change' and album highlight 'My House', but these moments stand alone.

As noted earlier the band seem to happy drifting between Doves' auto-anthem pop and the Boxer Rebellion's shallow space rock and I would encourage checking the latest albums by these two bands before buying an album that is merely the sum of their parts, and not the best parts at that.

While it's a good thing for a band to try new things, when the end result is as disjointed as Statues it might be best to revert to the searing indie of tracks like 'Elevation'. An opportunity missed.