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Barnes and Noble
Switzerland
Current price: $18.99
Barnes and Noble
Switzerland
Current price: $18.99
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, the second album
released in 2006 (as well as their second for
), is also another album brought to you by the words "fire," "night," "party," and "city." But, while the band has their lyrical motifs down pat, it's not all business -- or rather, pleasure -- as usual. If their last two albums were all-night parties in cities on fire, then
has more of an inkling that there's a hung-over morning after just around the corner, most literally on
This slightly ominous undercurrent makes itself known throughout the album, with songs are populated by sexy girls who might be diseased (and most likely are) and guys who might be monsters (ditto).
opens with
an angsty bit of heartache; granted, it's an angsty bit of heartache that also mentions that the singer's backing band includes the Devil on guitar and Hitler on drums, but it's still a surprisingly downbeat way to kick off the album. Likewise, the
allusion in
' title undercuts some of the song's brooding, twangy
, yet the song represents a darker
than we've heard before. On the other hand, the band finds plenty of time to add fun back into
's tainted, slightly off vibe. This makes for some of
's best songs yet, whether it's the insistent ambivalence of the he-she rocker
the slinky, sleazy
or
which might as well be the album's manifesto. There are also songs with titles that sound like double entendres or euphemisms even when they might not be, like
the gleefully dumb throwaway that closes the album, and moments of pure, glorious cheese, such as
and
(both of which are pretty clearly double entendres). That's not even mentioning
the nod to
that is
or the gleaming, streamlined
of
quintessentially
tracks one and all. Even if
is some of the band's most mature -- or least immature -- work yet, it's all relative; this restraint, what there is of it, makes them sound more focused, but they're still flamboyant and silly enough to keep fans happy. ~ Heather Phares