Second album by this band, and Samiam and Moving Targets come to mind: that pedigree of stuff that’s often made by older, wiser punks, stuff that’s a little rough but mostly polished, the result of having written so many songs and been in studios so many times. Sensible-like, but still moody enough, you know? Heartfelt work that never really comes close to going off, almost as if the band’s restraining itself without quite being aware of it. Though maybe the sense of melancholy and moroseness is exactly the point—it certainly seems to be so lyrically. Personally, I would’ve loved to have heard what it meant when they really did cut loose and let things rip, let those ghosts truly tumble out of their mouths, but I guess it’s not to be. Anyway, crafted by ex-Traffic And Weather and State Lottery folks. Far from bad, it just wasn’t quite the emotional or sonic clusterfuck I was hoping for. –Keith Rosson (Salinas)