THEY say you should never judge a book by its cover but I did anyway. So when I listened to Union of Knives' Violence and Birdsong, I was pleasantly surprised.

Bearing in mind the album sleeve features a young boy slouched nonchalantly against a powder blue wall stencilled with doves, I was expecting some sort of activist, revolutionary theme, like The Cranberries adopted in their Zombie era.

Thankfully, Union of Knives are nothing of the sort.

Melancholic melodies intersect with electronica and breathy, ethereal vocals, all of which create a lasting impression of this Glasgow trio's debut album.

If Portishead mated with My Bloody Valentine, this band would be the result.

Opening track Opposite Direction illustrates everything the band does right, as does Evil Has Never.

While the effect can be as soothing as watching a tide wash over a beach, if I have any criticisms, it is the band do sometimes tend to over-egg the pudding.

There's a fine line between tranquil and tranquilising and the album does sometimes slide into the latter, causing me to quickly tune back into Radio One for a quick burst of pop to wake myself up again.

Overall, as a debut effort, this album certainly cuts the mustard rather than the cheese - I'm already looking forward to the follow-up.