This Dublin trio's Sting-soundalike leader, Danny O'Donoghue, says the follow-up to their 2m-selling debut was inspired by "the journey from a feeling of devastation in the pit of my stomach", which might prime you for Leonard Cohen-ish weltschmerz, rather than manicured Celt-rock. O'Donoghue's sincerity as a writer is plain – the single For the First Time reveals his guilt at being successful while friends are suffering from the collapse of the Celtic Tiger – but the production is such a high-shine, epic affair that it all sounds incredibly pedestrian. Mid-tempo guitar rock prevails; so does O'Donoghue's way of raspily soaring through choruses as if his voice has broken free from its moorings. The best moment is easily If You Ever Come Back – not for the startling burst of rapping midway through, but for one sweet line: "If you ever come back, there'll be a smile on my face and the kettle on."