Ghost Notes

Given how effortlessly great sound on , it'd be easy to say that it seems like no time passed between this album and 1998's , the last time the band's original lineup recorded together. However, that would be doing , , and a disservice: their reunion couldn't have sounded this vital and confident without that time apart. They sound as sweet and heavy here as they did on -- not coincidentally, they recruited that album's producer, , to work on -- but also tougher and more focused. "The Gospel According to Saint Me" is a snarling statement of purpose that suggests ' "All Hail Me" with a clearer vendetta; "Laughing in the Sugar Bowl" thrums with a newfound urgency; and "I'm Telling You Now" and "Eyes on You" are some of the finest examples yet of their smart, tart power pop. Throughout the album, find more expression in their mix of alternative (it feels wrong to call them indie) and hard rock leanings than they have in years; the cowbell, driving piano, and head-banging choruses of "Come Clean, Dark Thing" don't just feel natural, they feel necessary. harness that fist-pumping power to some of their most potent songwriting, exploring anger, freedom, and loss with a clarity that was missing on 2006's 's last album with the band. With barbed eloquence, expresses how entangled independence and loneliness can be: "I can't breathe when you're right on top of me," sings over tumbling riffs on the giddy "Love You Less"; on "Prince of Wales," she gives that sentiment an aching twist as she sighs "I remember the weight of you." Here and on "The Sound of Leaving" and "Lost to Me," and the rest of the band reaffirm that their quieter side can be just as compelling as their anthems. It's more than a little ironic that 's reunion consists largely of songs about falling apart, and perhaps even more so that they sound so joyful while playing them, but is their most consistent -- and consistently enjoyable -- album yet. ~ Heather Phares