Hook-filled pop/rock with nasal, aching lead vocals and soaring harmonies. Decent songwriting with self-effacing humor courtesy of Andrew Osenga's lyrics, which sometimes seem a little downtrodden, if observant (in one song, "Everything," the singer, not knowing how to comfort a sad waitress, says, "I leave a tip like I think Jesus would"). Sometimes the band is weighed down by an intentional obscurity: the title track, for example, sounds fantastic, but doesn't make much sense; at least not in a profitable way (e.g., the surreal imagery of
R.E.M.'s "Wendell Gee"). A nice combination of aural textures helps things along, with the coupling of acoustic and distorted electric guitars. Steve Hindalong whaps the drums with authority and even the weaker cuts are hummable. A nice debut, if a little thin. ~ Doug Dwyer