Convincing Irish funk and soul is hard to come by; the last time any band put their own spin on the genre in any sort of authentic manner was Republic of Loose. Dublin four-piece Oddsocks make a valiant effort with their second full-length album, but despite its slick production and their able playing, the song quality ultimately lets them down.

Birth of the Cool's sombre slump and the soft '80s shuck of Just Like You are early highlights, while I Wanna Know brings things to a close with a satisfying synth-addled vibration.

In between, however, are eyebrow-raising lyrics about hotpants (Could Have Been Good to You) and songs with no clear identity. The Sound of the City consequently sounds more than a little . . . odd. oddsocksmusic.com