The first thing you notice is that their style of everything-but-the-kitchen-sink avaunt-garde electro-rock is still intact; only more so. Synths fade in and out in waves of glitter, bass and guitar lines bounce around and the drums just follow amiably - and that's only in the 4:37 minutes long first track Soldier's Grin. Boeckner's voice is the only grounding force - without him, you get the feeling that it would all spiral out of control. Call It A Ritual is the exact opposite, with slow, stately rhythms and howls of feedback backing Krug's layered threats ("I said, I'll make the decisions, you just drive"). We're back with Boeckner for Language City, who appears to have calmed down following his co-vocalist's ominous efforts, but not by much. It is more understated than the first track, but given how riotous that was, that doesn't say an awful lot. Bang Your Drum goes back to that original mass of twinkling sound, and Krug's leaning towards the weirder side hasn't grown out yet, it seems, and thank god for such small mercies. Following it, California Dreamer does little to lighten the atmosphere. Its energetic refrain, "I thought I might have heard you on the radio/But the radio waves were like stone" is somewhat at odds with the dark, clammy surroundings, but in doing so stands out as a fantastic track in an album of fantastic tracks. Even the albums "weaker" tracks, like Fine Young Cannibals or An Animal In Your Care, aren't even weak in the traditional sense. They're strong growers,rather than inferior songs. AMZ ends on a more immediate note, though, with Kissing The Beehive and its tight, charging rhythms, and the only Boeckner/Krug duet of the album. It sounds more united than the others, tying off the album with a typically anthemic Wolf Parade classic.
Mollx
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