Leonard: An Implied Desire

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * *)

This debut album by the Auckland outfit got a little lost in one of our regular review-pile avalanches. But by the sound of it, Leonard are a band worth discovering.

Their dozen tracks here (after two earlier EPs) shows them as an outfit whose strengths are a spirited, unpretentious guitar-powered pop-rock with alt-country leanings. And they aren't afraid to dress things up with harmonies - which get admirably Beach Boys-like on Oceans, Oars and Outboards, near the mid-way mark.

Along they way, the likes of Think it Over outdoes Elemeno P for sheer Weezer-ness, the guitars on Looking Up suggest a tribute to the era of Dragon and Th'Dudes, and Never Good Enough - the big loud one at the end - manages a hint of Norwegian Wood to its swagger.

Some of the arrangements are a little flaccid, but An Implied Desire is that rare thing, a promising debut that is actually promising.

Label: Global Routes