I got a hold of this when it came out back in April 2010 as it was the highly anticipated follow-up to their synth-pop breakthrough album, Oracular Spectacular (2007) - and I was floored by the quality of the melodies and the deceptive simplicity of the songs. Compared to the last, there are more guitars and a more experimental feel on this album and - even though they are American - the band seem to channel a 60's English psychedelic sound reminiscent of Syd Barrett and early-era Pink Floyd. The lead single "Flash Delirium" is quite possibly the best 4-minute pop song released in 2010, while "Siberian Breaks" feels like a modern-day Abbey Road-medley: a series of shorter musical ideas grouped together as a 12-minute suite executed to perfection.
In a musical climate full of manufactured "idols", and divas specializing in "faux-soul", it's refreshing to hear something as inventive and adventurous as this. It's endearing and clever, but not up itself.
Plus any album that has a track called "Brian Eno" is well worth checking out anyway, in my opinion.
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