11

We will, you know...

The Enemy are one of those bands who are so much better than the sum of their parts. This is reinforced by 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns', a stunning, thoughtful and introspective look into the lives of the ordinary people. From the opening bars of acoustic guitar through to the Paul Weller style singing into the delicate but weighty chorus, you're gripped throughout.

Although this lacks the singalong factor of previous single, 'Away From Here', this is probably the better song and one that will endure for longer. The way that the lyrics succinctly encapsulate is inspiring, the melodies are soaring and the overall production is first rate. It puts you in mind of another time when The Jam were storming the charts with their own tales of bleakness and despair. True, it borrows heavily from a series of sources which are laid thickly for all to see, but this merely adds to the pleasure of listening to it rather than making you crave for something a little more cutting edge. 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns' is almost the perfect first album song, stark and down but hopeful and hungry. And it should find a welcome place in your collection.