Recorded at the same time as its precursor but released two years later, 2017's
Times Infinity, Vol. 2
unsurprisingly follows a similarly intimate, eclectic tone as
the Dears
' move away from the chamber pop of their early years into a leaner, more immediate approach. With
Murray Lightburn
(lead vocals and guitar) and
Natalia Yanchak
(keyboards and vocals) leading a sympathetic rhythm section (guitarist
Patrick Krief
, bassist
Roberto Arquilla
, and drummer
Jeff Luciani
) augmented by a handful of session musicians,
does have its moments of grand-scale pop, most notably the lead-off track "Taking It to the Grave" and "Guns and Knives." But just as often, the album dips its toes into minimalist R&B ("All the Hail Marys," "Nothing in It for Me, Nothing in It for You"), bluesy rock & roll ("Of Fisticuffs"), dance-friendly pop ("1998"), moody self-examination ("End of Tour"), or tongue-in-cheek romantic kiss-offs ("I'm Sorry That I Wished You Dead," which features a backing vocal that on closer inspection turns out to be
Lightburn
repeatedly murmuring "F**k You"). The production, overseen by
, is clean and uncluttered throughout, with his lead vocals occasionally showing the influence of
David Bowie
in his soul boy period, and the songs manage to sound sincere while indulging in a fair amount of bittersweet humor or blunt claims of romantic disappointment. If this isn't quite as strong an offering as
Vol. 1
, which seems to have received a better set of songs, in terms of performances and the group's sonic signature, this is a strong piece of work that reminds listeners that
have few peers on the Montreal music scene. ~ Mark Deming