I find it incredibly rare for a band to be so consistent in its output. I have all the Concretes' albums (except Boy You Better Run Now which is difficult to obtain) and there is not one single song that I do not like. I am not musically trained and therefore my comments are from those of a lay man who simply enjoys music that is good on the ear. The music of the Concretes is, I think it is fair to say, very "poppy" and melodic but can also be very sultry at the same time. Up until the In Colour album, the band benefited from the Nico-esque voice of Victoria Bergsman (now Taken by Trees and guest on 2007's Young Folks). In her absence, Lisa Millberg is now the lead and in my opinion, whilst the quality of the songwriting remains as strong as ever, Lisa's voice is not quite as compelling as Victoria's (hence the 4 stars instead of 5). Do not be put off by this. Despite being a Swedish band, all their songs are in English and Lisa's Swedish accent is still very seductive to listen to.
WYWH (Wish You Were Here) is only a 10-track album of relatively short songs (except Good Evening) which after 3 years of quiet, I selfishly would have preferred more. However, the quid pro quo is the quality, because for me there is not a weak track on the album. The sound is also notably different, especially on "My Ways" and "Crack in the Paint", which offer something different to other Concretes' songs - almost an 80's feel (a bit like Aha's 2009 Foot of the Mountain album).
It has been 3 years since their last album and I hope to God it is not another 3 until their next!!
The Concretes are doing a limited tour to England in December. Catch them if you can.