Now that . is an actual working band and not a one-off reunion, they can settle into the business of being a band: touring regularly and cutting records where they subtly push at the boundaries of what defines the band's sound, as they do on 2012's . By some measures, the quietest record of their new millennium reunion, rarely roars with abandon -- oddly, it's who brings the noise with the appropriately named "Rude" and "Recognition," but does kick in the glorious breakneck rocker "Pierce the Morning Rain" -- with the band indulging in different textures and tempos, opening up their music in a way the concentrated didn't quite manage. This shift is evident from the start, when "Don't Pretend You Didn't Know" glides by on the back of an eerie analog synth line before surging into a chorus graced with piano, signaling that this is the . with the most sonic color since . Pianos pop back up on "Stick a Toe In," the band almost works out a heated groove on "I Know It Oh So Well" then lies back on "Almost Fare," finding space for the exploded pop of "What Was That," crunching power chords of "Watch the Corners," and closing off the proceedings with the mini-epic "Set It On Your Side." As always with ., underneath all that sound lie some sturdy bones, songs constructed with expert, unassuming craftsmanship and a sly wit, but it's the variety and adventure that makes something more than another excellent record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine