Second long-player from Oz pop miracle workers, Savage Garden.
 

It's so easy to bag Savage Garden- they're neither cool, mouthy or especially sexy. But Savage Garden is all about context. And Affirmation, their second long-player, is an album of the purest pop imaginable, made at a time when such unashamedly pop acts as Britney and Ricky ( no surnames needed here) dominate the charts, airwaves, TV screens and chat room speculation. Were living at a time when the eminently disp[osable three minutes of an "Animal Song" (included here), is a soundtrack to our increasingly disposable existence. Sure, disposability dosnt typically equate with longevity, but, hey, it tastes so sweet it could rot your teeth. And its that sence of instant gratification that makes Savage Gardens Affirmation a classy piece of work. It's sleeky, efficiently produced by Walter Afanasieff (who's also helped out Ricki martin, Marieah Carey and Celine Dion), with Darren Hayes and Daniel co-producing and writing all the tracks.

The balance here is just about spot on- the scaled down-U2 crunch of ":Crash and Burn" gels perfectly with the urgent, remix ready "The Best Thing"; the squeamish power balladeering of "I knew I loved you" is tailor-made for stadium sixed singalongs. And while wordman (and new king of the falsetto) Darren Hayes ain't no Elvis Costello, Hes striving to push the pop barrier just a little further: "Animal Song" is a pithy snap shot of manhattan on the move, "Two Beds and a Coffee" considers the tricky sunject of spouse abuse, while Hayes sounds convincingly blue on "The Lover After Me" and lost in lust on "Chained to You". Daniel Jones' winning way with melody, meanwhile, continues unhindered: there are more singles here than a P&O cruise.

Listen up- Affirmation is the soundtrack of our times. Expect sales in the millions.

Rateing: 3 out of 5

Best tracks: "Affirmation", "Animal Song", "The Best Thing".

File under: Roxette "Look Sharp", Eurythmics "Touch"