TIME was when the cynics suggested Jon McClure (aka Reverend) was the brains behind the Arctic Monkeys' considerable artistic brawn. He's good, but he ain't that good.

The State of Things takes a similar view from the afternoon as Alex Turner (who adds vocals to the withering refrains of The Machine) which suggests McClure shares his mate's jaundiced fascination with the extremes and minutiae of everyday life. McClure revels in documenting woodchip on the walls lives with a lurid frankness, albeit softened by affection, and set to a musical vibe that's as folky as it is indie or balearic.

It's as if Tony Capstick got on one with the Human League and reimagined the collected works of Pulp. It doesn't always work, but when it does it's an ear bender.