Its obvious there going for the big sing alongs like coldplay used to

to be a massively popular band like keane, snow patrol and hal there has to be a certain blandness about the music - a kind of everyman draw, but i think HAL have enough of their own style. personally i find it a little MOR, but its well written, gentle 70's pop, and there's room for it on the radio.

'bland' is the worong word. It just has to APPEAL. More often than not, these means been slightly less avant guarde, of course. But if a band sell to the fringes of an audience of rock fans rather than the rock fans themselves, they will sell more, as the fringe outnumbers the core. The again, I've never (personaly) met a band that 'directs' itself at a particular audience or writes a song thinking 'oh x kind of people will like this'. That's the record company and PR agency's job.

Rising Irish band Hal will celebrate the release of their debut album 'Play the Hits' with an instore appearance in Dublin next week. The band will meet fans and sign copies of 'Play the Hits' at HMV on Dublin's Grafton Street on Friday 22 April at 5pm. 'Play the Hits' is also released on 22 April. The album has been widely praised in the media, with influential British magazine Uncut giving the band's debut a four-star review.

Hal make insipid soulless drive time MOR music just like the Thrills, Stereophonics, Travis, Keane, Embrace etc etc. It's music for housewives to whistle along to when they're listening to Gerry Ryan and doing the dishes. I don't care how many Neil Young albums they listen to they're still sh*t and there are thousands of bands in the world today who are more deserving of success and exposure then this bunch of chancers. And Snow Patrol are complete sell outs. Go back and listen to Star fighter Pilot or any of the Reindeer Selection and then listen to their half asses interpretations of Doves' Pounding (Chocolate) and Coldplay's Yellow (Run). Final Straw wasn't a happy accident, it was a cold calculated move by Lightbody to re position himself in the market as the new Chris Martin. And now that he's sacked his bassist God now's what kind of watered down rock lite he’s preparing for the new album.

Have to step in and defend Embrace. Whilst their last two albums have gone down the travis route, I thought their debut and followup were great stuff and they were brilliant in the olympia a few years ago.

Hard working band. Deserve all they get. Their sound is very now, I just wonder if they haven't missed the boat. I now a few guys in Lizard king in London and they told me that they signed the killers over 2 years ago. I hope not cos they are a very good band.

Snow Patrol, Keane, Coldplay, Hal.....blah blah blah. Any band that yer Ma and Da like to listen to must be shyte!!! What the hell has happened to music? So many bands that are happy to sing depressing ballads about their new baby or about how their new sandals won't match their girlfriends beige flared chords. We need another revolution like in the late seventies. And as for that pr*ick in the Thrills that bends over to sing into a 2ft mic. Next time he does it, someone should ride him up the hole to teach him a lesson.

nesta=legend

nesta, are you volunteering for the job?

So did anyone get the album then? Verdicts?

don't have the album, butu have a 5 track sampler (which I presume contains all of the albums best songs), and it's great. Completely addictive hooks and melodies.

I got the album and it's ok. Some really good tunes, actually the same one's that stood out when I saw them live both times, 'I Sat Down', 'Worry About The Wind', 'What A Lovely Dance' and 'Satisfied'. Although the album feels a little dragged out and can't see it having a great lifespan, but some pleasant sun-pop tunes on there.