Squeeze Domino CD

If in the kingdom of the pop ballad the chorus still reigns supreme, then Squeeze is sitting pretty in the pleasure palace. Despite being largely a cult success since the late '70s, the band hasn't lost its sense of fun or sacrificed its style in the face of the electronic revolution. Squeeze remains at heart the quintessential pop band, with fluffy riffs, music rich in appeal and variety, and lyrics to warm the cockles of any suburban heart.

Glenn Tilbrook's voice belies his age and still has the same home-grown tinge to it, occasionally doubled with the trademark octave vocals to hammer home the chorus hook. And while there's an overall sense that with the encroaching years that the pace of the band-members' lives has slowed, hints of mature crises appear, such as in "To Be a Dad" ("I went to the cleaners / And came back with my life"). The band turns in instrumental performances that put most modern acts to shame, and manages to explore some of the more complex harmonies to be found on the early 21st century British scene. This is honest pop with no hidden agenda, as appealing to the careful listener as it is to the casual.

1998 album by the British new wave group. Features 12 newsongs marking original members Chris Difford & GlennTilbrook return to the sound of their early hit years in thelate '70s/ early '80s. A Quixotic Records release.

Squeeze: Glenn Tilbrook (vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming, loops); Chris Difford (vocals, guitar); Chris Holland (vocals, piano, organ, keyboards); Ash Soan (vocals, drums); Hilaire Penda (bass).

Additional personnel: Jeff Harvey, Sukie Green (vocals); Nick Harper (guitar); Jessica Rowan (recorder).