Iain Archer - 'Flood The Tanks' (Bright Star Recordings) Released 03/05/04

If Coldplay and Travis brought fey indie moping to the masses, then it is surely Snow Patrol's recent success that shows there is a market out there for slightly anthemic, yet wet as lettuce stuff.  Stuff that seems destined to be heard quietly from behind a closed bedroom door.  Snow Patrol collaborator Iain Archer's solo debut is the contender for next medium thing.

It's not that there is anything particularly bad in Archer's songwriting and the production is fine - the guitars chug and chime in all the right places. The singles 'Running in Dreams' and 'Boy Boy Boy' are catchy enough, but nothing that really sets this apart from his peer group.  'Not Yourself' and 'Does This Have A Name' stand out as they do something a bit different.  The more tender production values bring Archer’s voice to the fore and they work all the better for it.

All in all Archer shows a promising talent for songwriting, but could do with avoiding the pitfalls of the middle of the road.