It took emancipation from the very machine that put them together, , for finally to take the reins and start anew with , their first independent project. It appears the liberty afforded the quartet an opportunity to upend the entire record-making paradigm: there is no big-budget producer on deck, not a single power ballad to bet all the chips on...the group's mug isn't even on the front album cover, a first for one of the band's regular studio albums. All of the above are anomalies signaling that this is not your mother's , but an entirely refashioned outfit, one that favors take-no-prisoners pop/rock over inspirational sentiment, aggressiveness over adult contemporary sameness. At the core, are still a vocal pop foursome, so knob-turner ( , ) makes sure to keep his ear to the ground in terms of melodic value and immediacy, while adding an edge and rock sensibility that are very much his. have never sounded this liberated, this unconcerned with pandering to a formula -- they're almost oblivious to the positive-hits mentality that was once their bread and butter. In this band that must be considered in relation to the sum of its parts, , the sole original member left, isn't the only one carrying the vocal weight, but everyone is, even the newer initiates -- solo, in duos, in trios, and sometimes the four of them at once. There's nary a dull moment here -- things move so briskly and fluidly that this is perhaps the most fun have had in the studio since 1997's . Hands down, is the best album have released this decade. ~ Andree Farias