Human

If there’s one song on the album that Life is Sweet could live without, it’s track nine - Human - which, it should be acknowledged, comes dangerously close to being a dirge. Lyrically, Human also has more than a hint of sixth-form poetry about it. 1996 sees McKee at the height of her powers, and so it’s not an out-and-out bad song but nor is it anywhere near as good as the rest of Life is Sweet and could probably have benefited from a middle eight to break up its intense monotony.

Main interest comes from McKee’s guitar, which is obsessive, and the arrival of the now obligatory strings at the end to try and liven it up. But the truth is Human is a song that comes and goes without ever feeling like it’s been anywhere in between. And coming, as it does, amid a quartet of low-key songs, its placing on the album isn’t as wise as it could be. The far livelier Absolutely Barking Stars would’ve worked much better at this point in the proceedings.

Still, whatever its relative failings, it’s not enough to quite derail the album.

But it does its best.