There’s no denying that Second Coming is a bit of a letdown. None of the songs are quite as strong as the best on their debut, but there is plenty of good music on the band’s much-delayed second record. The Stone Roses create a dense tapestry of interweaving guitars and pulsing bass grooves. Ian Brown growls a little more than before, but he isn’t the center of the music; John Squire’s endlessly colorful riffs are. It’s clear that Squire has been listening to a bit of hard rock, particularly Led Zeppelin. While the songs occasionally take a back seat to the grooves, several tracks — “Ten Storey Love Song,” “Begging You,” “Tightrope,” “How Do You Sleep,” and “Love Spreads” — rank as true classics. It might not be the long-awaited masterpiece it was rumored to be, but Second Coming is a fine sophomore effort. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine