Album: Babybird, The Pleasures Of Self Destruction (Unison)

The "self destruction" of the title is a sleight of phrase, referring not to the dangers of reckless indulgence but to the delighted self-denial of devotion, destroying one's self to become part of something bigger.

Most of these songs deal with love in some form, from whirlwind romance in "The Best Day of Our Lives", to paternal determination to get clean and sober for a daughter's sake in "I Love Her". It's perhaps best expressed in the bright pop sheen of "Beautiful Haze", where Stephen Jones admits, "Your love it saves me/From the things that enslave me," though there's a characteristic lingering bitterness that tempers his enthusiasm. Musically, the album wields Jones' usual rolling-rock charm, particularly on the opener "The Jesus Stag Night Club", with Johnny Depp on guitar.

DOWNLOAD THIS: The Jesus Stag Night Club; Beautiful Haze; I Love Her