The New York outfit’s sophomore record sets the ‘Beans on course for great things.

Like an excitable puppy, over the last year Sunflower Bean has shamelessly stuck its nose in the crotch of whatever musical genre was in the room with it at the time.

The results are pretty good, with the odd dud – not a bad success rate for a trio of 22-year-olds. The dreamy Fleetwood Mac-alike early single I Was A Fool is wrapped in swooning, layered backing vocals and singer Julia Cumming’s silken, supple vocal.

She’s good enough to wrest album opener Burn It out of its slightly tired, plodding ‘70s guitar swagger with an attitude and fevered punch that Chrissie Hynde would be proud of.

Latest single Crisis Fest is a fist-pumping, foot-stomping pop-pounder, while the warm tones and easy-flowing guitar chimes of Memoria – and Only A Moment’s choral folk chant – are pastoral beauties.

Oh No, Bye Bye is an interesting high, exploring the fruitful hinterland between Fleetwood Mac and monochrome, motorik rock.

Overlook the hum-drum Any Way You Like and phoned-in ‘70s rock of Puppet Strings (like vintage, greased-lens Top Of The Pops footage) and you’ve got a future ‘best in breed’ contender.

Rating: 3/5 stars