Look who’s back. After a couple of years away and an interim solo album, Joel Plaskett has rounded up the Emergency once more and put together… a concept album?

Well, let’s be fair; this isn’t the first time the Joel Plaskett Emergency have strayed into this territory. In Need of Medical Attention’s loose theme was about the death of Plaskett’s grandfather, who was himself a doctor. Ashtray Rock is entirely different; there’s a narrative, told in song and illustration thanks to Rebecca Kraatz, about two kids who start a band, meet a girl, fight over her, and break up. Another story ripped from the headlines of Plaskett’s life? Not exactly—though “Drunk Teenagers” in particular namechecks a bunch of his old haunts in Halifax, and it’s been mentioned before that even if the story isn’t true, the subject matter isn’t far from Plaskett’s usual trade.

Instead of the relatively straightforward execution of both Truthfully, Truthfully and the outstanding Down At The Khyber, however, Ashtray Rock takes a couple of stylistic detours. First single “Fashionable People” isn’t the usual barroom-burning rock anthem; it’s a song more likely to shake your hips than bang your head. “Chinatown / For The Record” takes the quiet, contemplative mood from Plaskett’s solo outing, La De Da, and turns the melodrama knobs to 11 with some tasteful strings.

Ultimately it’s not exactly the sort of album that inspired the same kind of devotion as Down By The Khyber. I’ve told friends of mine who’ve witnessed my pint-fueled antics at various Plaskett shows that it felt like my Plaskett era ended once I left university. Ashtray Rock can only go so far towards rekindling that passion. But I’ll be surprised if the Joel Plaskett Emergency doesn’t win itself a new legion of followers thanks to this album; considering how hard the boys have worked over the years, criss-crossing the country with endearing stories and a growing library of outstanding songs, they deserve every last bit of adoration.