White Fox, Route 109a, ****

One of the better Irish albums of 2008 was Carry the Meek,from this Kells band with the wonky name. It was good, but White Fox knocks six bells of crap out of it, such is the advance in songwriting, arranging and the general sense of achievement. Structurally, also, the album is leagues ahead. Coming in at 33 and a third minutes, which is a nice retro joke, White Fox's brevity is matched by a level of quality that breathes through songs such as The Naturist,title track Models, The Fog, In December, Animals and all the rest. In fact, there isn't a duff tune here, which makes it that very rare thing: an album you can listen to all the way through without being tempted to press fastforward. See hamsandwichmusic.com

Download tracks:In December, Animals