Springboard Media is a comparatively new label, their stated goal being to bring new and unknown artists to the attention of the public at reasonable prices. We first became aware of them through an accidental meeting in Hong Kong earlier in the year, and since then they have released some quality albums. Unfortunately, although they are quite keen for new bands and the general public to become aware of them, we have not been able to access their website for some time now - and today, I notice that the site simply displays the banner "Coming soon". Don't be put off - check back to the site regularly at http://www.smltd.net as these guys are one of the few record labels out there who genuinely care about new artists.

The Inflatable Sharks (http://www.inflatablesharks.co.uk) are made up of Iain Brownlie on lead and backing vocals, Steve Groves on Bass guitar and vocals, Graham Nicholls and Brian Stephenson on Rhythm and acoustic, and Joe Tatley on drums. Based in Bristol, the guys still manage to hit the road from time to time and make themselves known to a wider audience - their publicity info states that there has been interest for the CD from Holland and Germany, so that can't be bad!

But, the all important question - what do I make of "See you on the Ice"?

Well, first thing that springs to mind is that the intro to track 1, "snow", sounds as though I'm about to listen to the theme of a new James Bond movie. Then the vocals come in, and I'm instantly impressed by the maturity of both the sound and lyrics. No repetitive screaming or vocals planned out on a napkin at lunchtime here (although some of the modern classics have been produced that way) - loads of thought gives us a great opening track which isn't too far off the music used in Bond films during the eighties...

Now, of course, I think I know what to expect from The Inflatable Sharks. The rest of the album proves me wrong - total change of style with every track. The band describe themselves on their website as an Indie band, but I've heard several totally contrasting styles - this is not a criticism, but as I've said before I don't think bands should always feel as though they should necessarily slot themselves into an established genre when their music is diverse enough to appeal to a much larger crowd. Most of the tracks on "See you on the Ice" would fall roughly into the category of rock/pop in your local record store, but as the band demonstrate, this is a pretty large area! Then again, there are also tracks here that it would almost be possible to slow dance to...

I am genuinely impressed by the contrasting styles that The Inflatable Sharks have offered us on this album - there must surely be something here for everyone but the most hardened metalhead. I can strongly recommend taking a trip to the website at http://www.inflatablesharks.co.uk (click on the Parental Guidance rating to enter) or the Springboard Media site when it becomes available, where you can take a listen for yourself or buy yourself a copy of the album and help them continue to support new musicians.