Baron Bane are a Swedish collective who comprise five musicians and two graphical artists, renowned in their homeland for their imaginative use of video during their live performances as well as putting on club nights and providing the music for art exhibitions. For those who haven't seen their shows, though, this self-titled debut will have to do.

In all honesty, it's a strange concoction of pop, dance, electronica and left-of-centre rock. The likes of 'Mayday' and 'Adore' sound oddly dated but would probably be well received in a club. Sadly, the instrumentals which segue between vocal tracks are merely coffee table filler (although the finale 'Russia' is at least a commendable experiment). Events take a turn for the better on 'For You' and 'Soften' thanks to a more relaxed soul sound and some classy singing from Ida Long. This first offering is by no means a bad album but - on this evidence - Baron Bane are obviously far more exciting live than on record.