2x****"Capture The Flag" serves as a welcoming calm before the Arcade Fire meets Genesis groove of "KC Accidental"****, a grand overture of an angular guitar theme and frantic drums. "Stars And Sons" (and similar "Cause=Time") seemingly also has all the necessary elements: strong riff and propulsive beat; but the greatest flaw becomes more noticeable: between the laconic vocal and the unchanging hook, the songs don't go anywhere, leaving them as perfect background music. The wide spectrum of styles keeps the album from being monotonous, from the emo/power-pop of "Almost Crimes", to the Sea And Cake lounge pop of "Looks Just Like The Sun" and "Pacific Theme", the jazzy "I'm Still Your Fag", and the ironically intimate and majestic "Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl, subtly featuring banjo and violin. Also the Mercury Rev 80's ballad "Lover's Spit"**** is a spacious late-album highlight. Not a track is badly executed, and sometimes you need sonic wallpaper.
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