They’ve definitely smoothed out some of the rough edges on this album compared to their debut. Like the transition of Built to Spill from ramshackle indie rockers to splendid indie dream popsters, these guys have filled out their sound, made it more lush and flowing and toned down some of the vocal emoting from their beginnings. This is the rainy Northwest sitting around farmhouse kitchen tables in low-top Converse with a newspaper and a song in your heart. The music is somber without being dreary (or slow), and manages to elicit the emotion they were going for in their first album without resorting to screeching or theatrics. The songs swell and ebb and make for a perfect soundscape for a bad day.
