The speedy appearance of
The Knowledge
-- arriving just two years after 2015's
Cradle to the Grave
,
Squeeze
's first album of new songs in 17 years -- suggests it's business as usual for
Glenn Tilbrook
and
Chris Difford
, a suggestion that the album itself proves untrue. Where
found the duo picking up where they left off on 1998's
Domino
is a genuine progression from the veteran pop group, one that finds them exploring new territory.
Difford
's lyrics are increasingly refined, playing like short stories -- even when he succumbs to a spot of erectile dysfunction japes on "Please Be Upstanding," his jokes are finely honed -- and the precise words find a counterpoint within
Tilbrook
's elaborate, adventurous songs. Some of this eclecticism can be chalked up to the ornate arrangements, which is an affectation that can occasionally be distracting -- as when "Rough Ride" is nearly subsumed by a children's choir -- but it's often quite thrilling. Heard as individual moments, the songs serve up surprises -- the Baroque, twilight country-rock of "Patchouli," the Euro flair of "Every Story," the light, soulful swing underpinning "The Ones," the lushness of "Elmers End" -- but it all adds up to a finely etched, autumnal affair. There's a bittersweet streak to
that's not sad but rather reassuring, as it adds feeling to
's sophisticated craft. This warm, soulful undercurrent, along with the wry sense of humor, elevates
, turning it into a masterly latter-day work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine