Unbeknownst to many, Polak's group leader, Pete Fijalowski, was once a member of a band who were set to take the Britpop scene by storm. Whilst their contemporaries Suede and Verve eventually did, the band Adorable were consigned to the dust heap, their short legacy apparently forgotten forever. That was until this debut effort from Polak which builds up a smoky atmosphere of misery and tension. Fijalkowski voice sounds bitter with experience as he meanders his way through a predominately slow-paced route of urban decay. The standout track is undoubtedly 'Tracer' which builds up slowly and eventually reaches a crescendo of guitars; it deserves to be a hit. Nothing else quite matches that on 'Swansongs', the remainder is too slow and not immediate enough to grab the ear of disillusioned teenagers. However, it is an album of some merit because efforts like 'Gutter Song', 'Impossible' and 'Shipwrecked' exude a lazy charm sounding like Echo And The Bunnymen's earlier, less orchestrated work. Polak could be a band to watch on this performance.