Ka Tet is certainly not a band name that blends into the background. Part of the Cold Room Collective from Galway, Ka Tet are the more progressive than their peers with greater variation in style. It is this ability to change which is simultaneously Ka Tet’s strength and weakness on their new album ‘Arcadia’.

There are notable high points on ‘Arcadia’ especially in Awake which soars with its chorus of “we fall” . It distils the very best from Josh Homme ‘s catalogue of hits into a glorious rock anthem. The Waiting is laced with the menace and World’s Edge with its rousing sing a long chorus “treat me better” is one of those tunes that will stick in the head for days on end. Cocaine Sandwich has a title that brings to mind the famous Shark Sandwich scene in Spinal Tap and while it is a raucous sleaze ball of a song, the Spinal Tap verdict could apply to some of the other efforts on the album.

The quality dips especially when Ka Tet delves into 70’s rock with Free Love, Baby On The Brink and Bob N’ Charlie where the melodies feel stagnant and guitar riffs dated. Some of the songs have a quite a strong Pearl Jam and Queens Of The Stone Age influence especially in the bass lines which is a signature sound across the album. When it works it’s great but when it doesn’t it comes across like a second-rate Kings of Leon B-side. It is particularly apparent on Shere Khan, where the individual elements of the song feel half-cooked and doesn’t fully deliver the punch it threatens.

While it’s great to see Ka Tet stretch their creative muscle over the course of the album, there is a lack of consistency akin to the feeling to channel hopping on TV. It’s like going from Breaking Bad to Location, Location, Location. It’s disconcerting and the results of some of the efforts are disappointing and miss the mark. ‘Arcadia’ is not without merit, but the like a second-hand jigsaw some of the pieces are missing preventing it from being fully satisfying.