Too bad this isn't a collection of odds and ends from the 80s because, and this will be hard to admit for diehard fans, the new line-up of Skeletal Family hasn't the immediate appeal of the original one. Anne-Marie Hurst's voice is just very hard to replace; Katrina Phillips experienced that in 1986/1987 and Claire Bannister had to overcome a lot of scepticism too. With Stan Greenwood and Ian Taylor as the only veteran members Skeletal Family has become a band with a different appearance, and it's not just the outlook that has changed. The driving, intense, restless percussion and echoing yet sharp guitar lines of past years don't surface on Songs Of Love, Hope And Despair. The band is in fact hampered by its history, comparisons to their mid 80s hits are unavoidable and that legacy will continue to haunt the band with every new album. 2005's comeback album Sakura was recieved fairly well and the band doesn't to have be ashamed of Songs of Love, Hope and Despair either. The sound on the album has more to do with alternative rock than with goth-rock, despite the dark undertone. Guitars that blare out and a dry snare drum form the basic ingredients of the powerful, sometimes piercing "Love hope despair". Claire lashes out even more on the anxious, tormented "Peripheral vision", the bitter, cruel "Chop chop" and the phobic, angry "Voices". "Monkey see" leans towards psychobilly,  "Killing time" and "I said run" sound restrained, almost soothing despite the lyrics. "Make it alright" benefits from the memorable chorus and with "Perfect day" another set of catchy tunes is delivered. The atonal, shrill "13" is annoying however and serves best as a means to irritate your neighbours. An extra angular, raw, disharmonic twist is provided by "Banker man" and the dry hard rock guitars of "Never there" serve as an firm foundation for Claire's defiant, sometimes screaming vocals. The song that comes closest to the original sound of Skeletal Family is the sultry "Desire". For many listeners it will take a while before they'll get used to the 'new' Skeletal Family and therefore this album will not go down easily. Only once you've managed to shake off the memories of a past era you'll find out that Songs Of Love, Hope And Despair is a de facto solid, although not flawless album.