Giants

It is also the lack of punk-rock bravado that leaves ‘Giants’ feeling most empty.

The first Stranglers LP since 2006’s Suite XVI explores some relatively unknown territories for the band, now in their 38th year. Freedom is Insane begins like a meditation CD, all wave noises and cheesy floating synths, before stepping up into familiar driving rock mode; My Fickle Resolve dabbles in cocktail-jazz rhythms with awkward results; and Adios (Tango) is an ill-advised stab at – you guessed it – tango.

Album Reviews: The Stranglers - Giants

Punk veterans surprise with a rich and sneakily touching seventeenth album. Album review by Thomas H Green