The Enemy Streets in the Sky

I've heard The Enemy before. They're not bad Brit Pop, but  second tier. The kind of band you don't mind if they're the opener, but you wouldn't see them as a headliner. They look like the Arctic Monkeys looked before they became flash bastards. They did nice sub- blur, sub-Oasis, sub- Kasabian songs, but none of them outright bad. Joby has brought out something new in them- by adding massive amounts of overblown volume, the songs crackle and spark, and it's moved them up. They now remind me  of the Manic Street Preachers. Not quite with the same glam-punk elan, but musically they've got a kind of GlamMod directness, and speedburned thuggery that presents the nearly twee melodies in the best possible light for a rock junkie like me. Tom Clarke isn't quite up to the task of being this year's Generation Terrorist, but he's up to the task of being the next "Know your Enemy" guy. So, what I'm saying is it's melodic, and anthemic, in a very british way, but, fortunately for them- loud and scratchy as an American level of brashness. Which makes it far more worth my time.