En Route

The line that separates - from " " (or, let's be honest, from plain old ) can be a treacherously thin one. It's the line that separates from, say, , and many artists drawn to that borderland end up becoming forever lost in the shifting sands of watered-down grooves and wind chimes. navigate the line pretty well, and if they occasionally stray onto the syrupy side, you get the feeling that they don't really care as long as the grooves are fun and the melodies are attractive -- which they really are, almost all the time. opens the album on an interesting and funky note, and is quickly followed by the all too aptly titled a tune that is perhaps just a bit too silky and a bit too infused with synthesized strings (and wind chimes). But generates a darker and edgier mood, and flirts nicely with . is an example of a song that dances around the edges of goopiness -- the "ha ha hey hey" vocals are just kind of silly, though most of the other elements in that track are fairly engaging. is a very pleasant listening experience overall, even if parts of it are more soothing than interesting. ~ Rick Anderson