Brighton's Passenger are the five-piece facade behind which hides Mike Rosenberg, and were indeed formerly known as the Mike Rosenberg Band. A soft southern version of Cherry Ghost perhaps, they deliver marvellously-crafted acoustic-folk-pop with a twist of electronica, the odd sample (from owl hoots to opera), and an occasional touch of mild hip-hop. Sparklingly pristine and very Radio 2-friendly, they might just fill the Keane-shaped hole in the current market, with Rosenberg also having an alarming familiarity as some kind of James Blunt impersonator (more estuary then Eton though). Not altogether attractive to me on the face of it then, but the melodies are so addictive it's impossible to stop them burrowing into the brain; the lyrics are strong narratives, never reaching Blunt's banality; and the quality songs just keep on coming as the album progresses. In some ways this album is only a chiming 'Spanish' guitar sound and thoughtful lush production veneer away from a slew of current artists: scrubbed-up versions of The Street's Mike Skinner or Jack Penate with Newton Faulkner on guitar come to mind. But Passenger's distinctive studied pop sound and storytelling give them their own intelligent identity.

If there was one song that won me over on first listen, it's the remarkable 'Night Vision Binoculars' (likely a.k.a. 'Walk You Home' based upon the chorus). A clever tongue-in-cheek burst of energy about stalking that jangles along gloriously over a popcorn electronic rhythm. It's as likely to be misinterpreted to the careless listener as easily as The Police's 'Every Breath You Take', but the voyeurism is taken up several levels and laced with humour. The line "With my thermal flask of tea / Up there in your neighbour's tree" had me almost laughing out loud, followed by "I'm the boy with social disorders / I'm the boy with restraining orders". Not one for letting slip under your breath during the commute then, though possibly useful for gaining more elbow room.

Only on 'Do What You Like' is the Blunt quotient briefly exceeded, but compensation was on hand with a torrid story of a night out with a cheating girlfriend. It's followed by the introspective 'Needle In The Dark' and 'Four Horses', both enhanced by fine arrangements: which along with atmospheric intro samples are a recurring feature. With the prayer-like 'For You' these tracks are a change of pace that proves the album has much more than one dimension.

Something keeps drawing me back to this release. Sure overall it's a wholesome easy listen, and it might benefit from some rough edges to emphasise rather than varnish over it's depths, but it is very very good at what it sets out to do and the lyrics put it a cut above. Maybe it is a guilty pleasure, but I'd definitely prefer to listen to this than Coldplay. If I had any credibility I might be worried, but I don't, so wholeheartedly recommended for a summer pop listen then. Contagiously enjoyable. 76% [Download Passenger Wicked Man's Rest]Links Passenger [myspace]