In the world of TV, film and theatre the concept of the three act structure is nothing new. In the first act we're introduced to the characters and main locations; the second act introduces a confrontation or obstacle; and finally, our third act finds resolution through a climax followed by dénouement. From the chin-stroking highs of Seven Samurai and The Godfather to the goofball comedies of Sandler and Ferrell the three act structure is employed everywhere. But on an album? With their self-titled debut, Sweden's latest (and probably only) neo-power-kraut seven-piece Ikons are here to show us that not only is it possible, the results can be very special indeed.

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ACT 1. INT. BEDROOM - MORNING ‘Slow Light’ enters quietly from a distance; the faders are pushed up to reveal a feather-light bed of synths which are soon joined by a driving, repetitive bass line. This is eight minutes of slow build; as the bass line hypnotises, ethereal synths intertwine with sparse, shimmering guitar lines and washed out rhythm.Bass dominated again on ‘Afrika’, this time given the space to spit and snarl as it hammers out a single note. Guitar chord-stabs collide in the distance as a vocal mantra repeats.

AFRIKA Hurry on sundown.

ACT 2. EXT. CITY - MID-AFTERNOON With the main components introduced, drums and bass once again take the lead on ‘Honey’. High-pitched synth alarms in the background as a biting guitar hammers the same chord over and over again. A lyric is thrown at the mic seemingly at random.

HONEY Honey.

This is the warm up for 'Imperiet', the album's centrepiece and one of only two real songs (in that it they feature lyrics that constitute more than three words) present on the whole album. 80's drums, saturated in tight, close reverb, are matched with a New Order bass. Double guitar lines scream out melodies.

IMPERIET Crushed by the wheels of history. We worked hard.

With so much pace and urgency this is dance-floor-filling, fists in the air stuff. At the risk of using a dirty word, this is what Kasabian would sound like if they weren't a bit shit.Bringing us down and out Act 2 are 'Guns' -- a fuzzy, dark instrumental with twisting distortions and a lazy disco beat -- and 'Domine'. Ambient swells loop back on themselves as the album finds its most introspective moment. A sample of 'The Origin Of The Universe' plays under an almost dubby bass line.

DOMINE If galaxies are moving apart now, they must have been closer together in the past. If their speed had been constant, they would all have been on top of one another about 15 billion years ago.

This is the welcome calm before the storm.ACT 3. INT. CLUB - NIGHT It's the most ridiculously low-slung bass line you've heard in quite a while -- and it's fucking awesome. 'The Hawk' is five and a half minutes of punk rock fuzz instrumental psychedelica...God knows what. Everything we've heard before is here and all hell is breaking loose. Drums thrash, bass drives and guitars scream as layer after layer of noise is thrown on the pile. If this is the albums climax then what follows has to be its dénouement.'Seconds' brings things down with baggy rhythms and glistening guitars before we launch into our closer: 'Bye'. Through massive washes of Jesus & Mary Chain reverb and distortion comes a barely legible vocal parting gesture.

BYE I'll give you anything. Bye bye bye.

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Listening to Ikons' debut it's no surprise they have been spending their time opening for Spiritualized. Built on a bed of hypnotic repetition, mood and feel, the album has an ebb and flow that is only appreciated when listened to as a whole. There is so much going on here that there should be something to please everyone; indie kids into Doves will find Jimmy Goodwin bass grooves, shoegaze fans will be wrapped in sheets of warm, thick, distorted reverb.Musically, it could be argued that Ikons follow a script which has been written before; with big albums from the likes of The Horrors, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Delphic, rehashes of My Bloody Valentine, New Order and the C86 scene are ten-a-penny right now. However, with Ikons cherry-picking influence as they see fit and making them their own, the revival has never sounded this good.