The Phoenix Foundation: Horse Power

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * * *)

By their name - and label - you would think this Wellington outfit would be yet another branch of the capital's dub-dance fraternity.

But no, the Phoenix Foundation are, by the sound of this their strangely wonderful debut album, imaginative indie rockers with urges towards free-wheeling acoustic guitar-powered psychedelic pop, lyrical strangeness and a studio approach that indicates they're more than happy not to sound like the six-piece band they are in real life.

That makes for quite an unhinged atmosphere over the 11 tracks, with some of the songs like the punsome This Charming Van and Sally suggesting what might be the result if Greg Johnson was backed by Pluto. There are echoes of early Chills in other spots like This Swarm.

The urge to break out the vocoder on Bruiser kills the effect, especially after the super-languorous St Kevin. But the likes of the semi-electronic Let Me Die a Woman, Going Fishing (sorta the Clean meets Stone Roses) and the sweetly folky Wildlife which closes proceedings all help to make Horsepower something special.

Label: Capital Recordings