Ultimate Painting – Green Lanes

You won’t need any prior knowledge of smart tunesmiths Jack Cooper (Mazes) and James Hoare (Veronica Falls) to recognise the blueprint for their collaboration – although, for the record, it’s essentially ‘white dudes with Rickenbackers and a perfect pop complex’. Happily, they’re smart enough to live up to the latter: there’s a pleasant scent of The Velvet Underground to Cooper’s contributions, as opener Kodiak replaces the lo-fi Krautpop of his primary outfit with ebullient twangs and spacious melodies.

More meditative moments come courtesy of Hoare, whose gorgeous efforts Sweet Chris and Paying The Price evoke the gentle breeze of Gerard Love’s later work with Teenage Fanclub. There’s nothing new or challenging here, so it's understandable if even the theory behind Green Lanes leaves you cold. A shame though, because Ultimate Painting’s second full-length radiates a very comforting warmth, either despite or because of its familiarity. Wistful jangling at its best.