By , were establishing a pattern: each odd-numbered album has been a difficult, rockier affair, while each even-numbered album showed off their sublimely poppy side. So this being their fifth record, it's easy to guess where falls -- and if you still hadn't figured it out, just check out the faux- cover art! Fans of the unexpectedly great comeback might be worried that this is a return to the minor stumble that was the dark and difficult -- the last " " album -- but thankfully bursts with the hooks and little musical flourishes that have made the more mature records such a treat, and has little of the meandering malaise that marred . Lead single sets the tone -- while the verses rage with '70s -derived licks, the choruses burst with one of the sunniest and catchiest tunes that and company have ever committed to tape. So while and the awkwardly political title track rage as hard as anything they've ever recorded -- and admittedly sound a bit more than -- there's plenty of good songwriting, like on the sweet (really) the staccato guitar work on the verses of or the honest-to-goodness string-laden power ballad The real shame is that went broke just before the album was to be released, again robbing the U.S. of a timely release. But 's quality justifies a hefty import price tag: it's a surprisingly strong and assured record, the kind that -- while not the highest point of the band's catalog -- will help shore up their building legacy as one of the most consistent bands to emerge from the British Isles in the '90s. ~ Jason Damas