Halite
	Courses
	(Brassneck/CD)
	Harry Guerin

The sweetness of Halite's debut album 'Head On' was something of a surprise, given mainman Graham Hopkins' previous day job as drummer with Therapy? Now, a little over a year later, Hopkins has moved back towards his rock roots with this hit-and-miss follow-up. Turning Halite from a solo project into a fully-fledged band results in some sparks here, but Hopkins doesn't suit the more muscular moments and there's nothing remarkable about them, either. Where 'Courses' really comes alive is when the quartet lock into the groove of dreamier songs like 'For All That Can't Be Done' and the extended title track - or turn to the pop of 'In Time' and 'Holding Me Out'. Given that this album proved impossible to second guess from listening to the first, perhaps the next one will yield the biggest and best surprises of all.