Quick, Before It Melts.

What goes around comes around, they say. In the early 80s Manchester Messiahs The Smiths were considered the kings of British guitar pop, and they remained on the throne until they stepped down by way of breaking up in 1987. Their reign was followed by The Stone Roses, who signaled a psychedelic revival of sorts and ushered in the era of Madchester. The Roses remained at the top, but only by a thread through the latter part of the 80s and into the 90s, as red tape embroiled them in a legal battle with their former label and stopped them from releasing any new material until it was all over. Their second album, The Second Coming (imaginative ain't it?), had some stellar moments on it, but like their predecessors, a break up cut their dynasty short. Move ahead a few years, and young upstarts Oasis sailed in to regain the throne, but their ascension would not be easy. First they had to engage in a royal battle with London's Blur for the rights to "Britain's Best Band." In the end, I think neither won, having both lost out to Sheffield's Pulp.

Now it's 2008 and the sun is rising on Manchester once more, and there's another Liam making a move for the throne. This Liam, surname Fray, and his band The Courteeners have been stirring the cauldrons of British music rags, tempting the fates by being labeled the next big thing out of this industrial, working class town.

Formed in 2006, and signed to Loog Records, the band began releasing single late last year, each gaining them more and more notice. Support gigs for The Coral led to headlining shows of their own, which in turn led to NME cover stories and the burgeoning hype machine building around them. Their debut full length, St. Jude (patron saint of lost causes), was produced by former Smiths/Morrissey (and Blur) producer Stephen Street (ah, the circle of life!), and hit the streets of the UK earlier this month (only available as import in North America so far).

All reviews I've read so far are mixed, but I'm liking the album a lot. It's not groundbreaking, and it's not going to change your life, but it does carry on in the tradition of The Smiths, et al. Those classic bands are clearly an influence, so how could they not be part of the sound. The thing is, The Courteeners aren't a fully-formed, legendary band... yet. There's plenty of room to grow, and if the media doesn't kill them off first, it's going to be fun watching them develop.