"I wanted to try something different this time," sings at one point on , and in fact, try a few new things on their fifth album. This set of songs began as an experimental EP with 's and , and the band sound as playful and relaxed as they were forceful and serious on their previous album . It's clear that they wanted to try as many approaches as possible: "My Bloody Mind" begins as a grinding rocker, then settles into something more confessional and endearing as wonders "Why do I long for a life/That I already have?" over a flowing piano melody; "Brain Cells," meanwhile, delivers on the electronic flirtations have shown since with spare, paranoid synth pop. This is one of the richest veins of experimentation on , allowing the band to adopt different perspectives, musically and lyrically. On the shadowy "Is It True?," -- who is usually a hopeless romantic in his songs -- sings about how "ambivalent" he is lying next to someone in bed; similarly, he balances suspicion and trust on "Leave This Island," proving that find the politics of relationships to be just as fraught as the social issues they explored on . They also return to more familiar territory with songs like the bookish love song "Her Name Was Audre" and "Give, Get, Take," a slice of fizzy indie that recalls "Apply Some Pressure." Aptly, the more guitar-driven tracks such as "Drinking Martinis" and "Midnight on the Hill" aren't just reminiscent of 's early days, they're also about coming to terms with nostalgia. The intriguing contrast between the album's cheery indie rock and unsettled electronic pop recalls (which featured synth-driven interludes like "Acrobat" as well as sharp-edged indie), and it's another example of how have followed the searching heart of their music down different paths over the years. Given its experimental beginnings, might not be the band's most immediate album, but it affords them more possibilities than they've had since their debut. ~ Heather Phares