Some good music passes through my ears from Italy, so I was pleased to see that 'Hung Up To Dry', the new album by Padova's The Sickle was in my latest goody bag of review-ready CDs.

With a voice somewhat akin to Placebo's Brian Molko (don't let that put you off), The Sickle also carry some of that pop glam spirit, but instead with a much more classic punk rock 'n' roll vibe. And although they have a familiar star-decorated glam rock image, The Sickle actually kick off the album with much more emotive fare, leaning towards the softer side of the blade. For The Sickle this is no bad thing, as it works for them really well, and if anything it is a refreshing break from the abundance of LA glam wannabes that are clogging up the punk rock 'n' roll genre.

Sure, the emotive tone is heavily pursued throughout the album, with titles such as 'Mental Mess', 'Addicted To Dreaming', and 'It's Just Rain', but luckily this is no emo album. Instead, the record is unashamedly introspective, a reminder of the day when people were allowed to write heartbreak tunes before the floppy-haired, daddy-doesn't-love-me-but-I-love-his-money invasion pulled the integrity right out of it. The album produces many short sharp nuggets of fizzy greatness that manages to meld a sense of Anglo-European sleaze with American pop-punk. What emerges is a successful effort to avoid the rock 'n' cliché that their image suggests and conjures up a mix of Coyote Shivers, EVE 6 and Green Day.

'Hung Out To Dry' isn't perfect - the odd song can be lost in there. But it's refreshing, honest, and to the point. If this kind of pop punk 'n' roll floats your boat, then jump aboard with The Sickle.

www.myspace.com/thesicklemusic