While 2004's
Americano found
the Peacemakers stomping their way through a blend of Southwestern roots rock and evocative storytelling,
No More Beautiful World finds them taking a long siesta. Gone are the earnest ballads, the rock & roll swagger, and the storybook sparkle of
Roger Clyne's lyrics. Filling that empty hole is a newfound appreciation for
Jimmy Buffett, with a scoop of Mexican flavor thrown into the mix. As a result,
No More Beautiful World is a lighthearted and breezy record; even when
Clyne takes on the lackluster president, he does so with tongue-in-cheek relaxation, rechristening the
Bush Administration "the goon squad" while guitars chime brightly beneath him. Elsewhere, he sings about Mexico's drug trade (the corrido number "Contraband"), examines America's love for material things ("Plenty"), and -- in one of the album's more clever moments -- delivers a narrative in which a pair of Special Ops soldiers decide to abandon their post and take an extended vacation ("Wake Up Call").