With , took a stab at a streamlined, big-budget album, complete with guest stars and cameos. It was accomplished and accomplished what it set out to do -- namely, elevate ' critical standing, making them a mainstay of readers and opening some doors in American magazines, who had previously ignored the brilliant Welsh quintet. Nevertheless, it was their least-interesting set of music released to date, often sounding constrained by its polished widescreen aspirations (not to mention its similarly cleaned-up, simplified political stance and lyrics), so it comes as no little relief that loosens up on the sequel to , the superbly titled . Teaming up with producer , who helmed ' comeback, come up with their fuzziest record yet, abandoning the Technicolor gloss of for a hazy, slow-rolling collection of elastic songs. facilitates the return of dance beats and hints of , sometimes recalling in its arrangements, but his biggest contribution is to give the record a bit of dirt, grounding this music in reality. This is a mixed blessing, since it means that never takes off the way or or even did in its sheer exuberance. This earth-bound feeling is all the more palpable because 's sensibilities are still in line with the streamlined attitudes of . Their different influences and ideas don't intertwine the way they used to; they exist as separate songs. These songs are frequently very good, and display many of the band's attributes, from ' ethereal yet warm voice and his sweet, enveloping melodies to the group's effortless eclecticism, grounded in but encompassing much more, including a new fascination with . It's a very good listen and there's a certain appeal to the dreamy haze of the production, particularly when it's goosed along by sighing harmonies and sweet steel guitars, sounding something like a Californian . That, of course, is a good thing, and is a very good album (and, again, compared to many of 's peers in 2003, it is far ahead of the pack), but it does lack some of the things that made earlier so exhilarating -- the grit, the wild abandon, the absurdity, and the sheer unpredictability, where it was impossible to tell what would happen next. Perhaps this is the inevitable result of maturity, which does make one a little bit older and a little bit slower, but it's still hard not to miss. But, at least they're still making good records, unlike some bands who enter their mature phase. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine