Sons & Daughters

Where Sons and Daughters once drew from a lipid pool of Nick Cave minimalism, on This Gift they pay homage to the drama and jangle of another of their heroes, the Smiths. Though it's no accident with Suede guitarist Bernard Butler wearing the producer's hat (with his affinity for the mercurial Mancs), singer Adele Bethel is a less mopey Mozer while guitarist Scott Paterson has more crunch than Johnny Marr. "Darling" is jittery, angular rock, with a hook that could catch an orca, while "Split Lips" uses piano and violin strings to add to the emotional turbulence of a break-up song.