Philip Kane's Book of Broken Things is the work of a (formerly) dissolute man now in his fifties looking back on the death of close friends and the closest of all relations, glancing forward to his own glimpsed mortality and dallying a while to note the politics, both personal and social, of the day still being lived...

Book of Broken Things is Philip Kane's fourth album with his band, The Expendables, who, remarkably, have managed to stay together for twenty-three years (with only one death) without the merest palpable sliver of success.

Kane, who was previously the singer and chief songwriter in the bands Ennui and Avalanche, delivers a bleak look at mortality and the struggles to get through life. While the lyrics are deliciously raw and real, the music shines through like a beacon of light. The opening 'Eight Stone Tall and Handsome' has a wonderfully produced string backing that compliments the song. The string element is one that returns throughout the album.

Kane's vocals help to sell the stories contained within the lyrics. They're rough and full of pain when required, and smooth and finely honed at other points.

Overall it's an impressive rock album that will draw you in.

7

Nick Smithson