Drawn From Memory

This is the sound of modern Northern soul. The second album from 2000 Drawn From Memory and follow up to their 1998 debut, The Good Will Out. It includes Hooligan which has a Beck-ish touch of mischief, with its grainy loops, jaunty kazoo and bluesy, shuffling rhythm, while You're Not Alone weaves upbeat Northern brass into its anthemic chorus. Frontman Danny also delivers a few killer ballads, including the title track, where to an intimate piano melody he regretfully sings: "I turn evil in your hands." He's always been an unsentimental wordsmith, and thank heaven for that.