You get the feeling their hitmaking heyday (such as it was) is a fair way behind Starsailor – which could be why the best of All the Plans sounds like they’ve stopped trying to make music for other people and are pleasing themselves.
So much so that James Walsh appears quite content to live out his wannabe Oasis fantasies on a couple of genuinely anthemic ballads like the title track and Tell Me It’s Not Over, both of which build from loud guitar figures to stirring harmonies and huge choruses.
When they feel up to it (Boy In Waiting, Neon Sky) they try to rock out a bit, but end up tripping over their U2 back catalogue. More successful – and bizarre – is the rockabilly maw of The Thames.
A surprising return to something like form.
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