Is it me or could Falcon have been released under just Liam Fray's name rather than The Courteeners? It's not as though the rest of the band are invisible, more inconsequential. Previous album St Jude saw the Manchester band alternately hailed as the new saviours of lad rock or the natural successors to The Smiths, both of which felt unfairly burdensome - although Fray himself appeared to court (sorry!) such comparisons. But, instead of building on the momentum and dispensing more snotty boisterousness, Falcon feels like a deliberate pause for reflection, a tactical withdrawal to consider strategy and direction. If so it was a dangerous move, running the risk of alienating their committed fanbase and, if the split in critical reaction was anything to judge by, such was the case.