The Mendoza LineFull Of Life And Full Of FireReview

Six albums into their career, The Mendoza line’s signature sound is the vocal – and domestic – partnership between Bracy and Shannon McArdle. They now split the bulk of the writing and singing almost equally between them, although Paul Deppler still contributes one very Leonard Cohen-ish duet with McArdle on the live recording of ''Our Love is Like A Wire'' which closes the album.

At first, their juxtaposition of squalling indie rock and gothic back porch country is a little jarring, but McArdle and Bracy soon take shape as a politically sussed alt. country answer to Nancy & Lee. Bracy’s folk‘n’roll sneer is a dead ringer for Dylan circa 1966 on the likes of ''Name Names'' and ''Morbid Craving'', and he even writes like him in places ('I don’t know how much he hurt you but I will hurt you more than him’). McArdle is the more versatile singer, ranging between the half-asleep whisper of the opening ''Water Surrounds'' and more candied pop tones strikingly reminiscent of Belly’s Tanya Donelly on the likes of ''Catch A Collapsing Star''.

While their affection for American Music Club, The Replacements and the Velvet Underground is obvious – in places a little too much so – British listeners may also hear the likes of The Only Ones and The Rolling Stones (''Rat’s Alley'' and ''Morbid Craving'') or even a touch of The Cure/Gang of Four (''Mysterious in Black'').

According to their website, this album is ‘a summation of the themes of avarice, lust, love, and corruption which have long consumed them’, but it’s their way with slightly sinister rhyming couplets that really stands out (‘Oh nothing was said/of torture in the shed’…). And while ''Pipe Stories'' could easily be read as a dissection of George Bush’s political strategy (‘Make them feel this danger’s real’) it’s couched in cryptic enough terms to avoid becoming simple agitpop. Oh, and there are plenty of naggingly memorable tunes.