keepers 4
keeper avg .444
Somewhere I heard the disorienting opening track "Sleeping Ute"**** and at that point I was hooked. It's heavily punctuated rhythm serves as a platform for ringing instrumental flourishes that would sound jarring in a less-skillful mix, as the dizzying time changes give the song intensity. The infectious, lilting melody "Yet Again"**** sets in an instrumental mix that's impressively complex but amazingly spacious with varying layers of reverb. The approach is similar to the glorious orchestral pop of Soft Bulletin-era Flaming Lips, except with subtler instrumentation and Edward Droste and Daniel Rossen can actually sing. A hopping, thumping rhythm combines with a calliope chorus on "A Simpler Answer"****, producing the effect of riding on a merry-go-round that itself is being pulled by a giraffe though the savanna - amazingly catchy though the song is about 2 minutes too long with a stately but unnecessary breakdown/coda. "Gun-Shy"**** resembles David Bowie's "Ashes To Ashes" though I think it flows much better as a song (really, no one would have given two shits about "Ashes" except Bowie's reference to his famous Major Tom character). The sparse "The Hunt" has parallels in the more low-key songs by Radiohead. "Half Gate" and "Speak In Rounds" are the only two exceptions to the rather restrained tempo of most of the album, but neither bring out the band's greatest strengths: skillful melodies, intricate rhythms, and layered instrumentation. "Sun In Your Eyes" is a fittingly grand closer to this surprisingly rich and interesting album.
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