Apparently, the home truth from abroad that Stourbridge, England's Fretblanket exemplifies is that you too could start a band, get signed to a well- meaning but clueless major label and disappear forever into the modern rock radio netherworld. Bush and Blur got big by playing the same loud Americanized rock as Fretblanket did on their 1994 debut Junkfuel, so why didn't they become as successful? It may be that the only thing they have going for them is their reasonably telegenic frontman, Will Coyle, whose gravelly, urgent rasp beats Gavin Rossdale's angsty- pants keening any day. Fretblanket's sound is like Oasis minus the arrogant posing and Beatles references plus a little more energy-- which is to say, the same kind of bland stripped- down alt-rock that's all the rage in the '90s.

It's always a warning sign when the promo package for an album focuses on how cool the video for the single is. Apparently, the best thing Polydor Records can say about Fretblanket is that the video for "Into The Ocean", their first single from Home Truths From Abroad, was the highest- rated video ever on MTV's "12 Angry Viewers". Admittedly, the video is pretty cool (the concept: a trailer for a fictional low- budget European spy flick), and the song has a dark, surfy feel to it that works well in the context of the video. I'd give it a thumbs- up if I was reviewing videos, but I'm not. As part of Home Truths From Abroad and without the video, "Into The Ocean" is merely the best track on a subpar album.

Home Truths isn't horrible, it's just boring. It's got an indelible album- by- numbers feel: the single is the leadoff track, and there are a few vaguely catchy anthems ("Hammer and Tongues," "Green And Green") with the occasional acoustic number ("Killer In A Former Life") to supposedly break up the monotony, but the whole thing feels like filler anyway. What's worse, Home Truths ends up diluting what punch "Into The Ocean" packed as a single. Bands like Fretblanket will be around until the end of time, cluttering up clearance bins everywhere, so there's no point in complaining about it. Just take notice, nod in acknowledgment, and move on.

-Nick Mirov