Nothing : " Tired of Tomorrow"

It's important to listen to the band's second album in sequential context rather than on a shuffle for a few songs when you first hear it. Failing to do so will give you spoilers in regards to the changes in their sound you might not want. Though by not hearing the opener "Fever Queen" there is a little more truth in advertising in regards to what you are actually going to get. "Fever Queen" has more of a pound to it's drone than the bulk of these day dream lullabies are going to muster. "The Dead Are Dumb" is very well put together and unlike the opener, the vocals are sedate, but not as sugar smitten with out the extra layer of harmonies. The more grunge tinged sound eluded to on the first album returns on the first single they released earlier in the year, the more uptempo "Vertigo Flowers". The drummer is well showcased on this song. It almost sounds like a more care free version of Hum. The production is a little over the top in terms of how clean all the tones are. It does pay off to give them an almost Pink Floyd like tone in the solo like section of the previous here, but when it comes to getting heavier sonically, the lushness twinkling more than it sweeps you away.

 The first moment that really rocks and connects with me is "ACD". There is almost a emo feel to the vocal melody, not Sunny Day emo more like Appleseed Cast or Mineral's more post-rock moments, if they were coiled into a more solid grunge groove.The shift in slicker production does benefit the drum sound that opens "Nineteen Ninety Heaven". They come back with a more solid drive behind "Curse of the Sun". Though this puts them in the neighborhood of Sliversun Pickups and Smashing Pumpkins, with the turn around on one riff almost sounding like Collective Soul.This album is without a doubt more accessible then "Guilty Of Everything". Some of the more shoe gazey and experimental guitar tones surface on this song, so it's a well balanced compromise. I remember when "Eaten By Worms" came out weeks ago, but wanted to hear the album as a whole so didn't check it out and I normally avoid pre-release singles. I want to hear the album or ironically nothing. This one is straight ahead alternative rock, that sounds like if Elliot Smith was covering "Creep" with the Catherine Wheel. They do add some noise around the edges when the song builds up to give it more sonic punch.
 It's time to dive back into to clouds of cotton candy on "Everyone is Happy" even super sweet textures here are more easily digested after a couple of listens. There is an increased presence of piano.This gives it a more post-rock pop texture. The guitars are perfectly recorded so that evens the score a great deal to make up for some of the changes.The winning drum sound once again leads the way into "Our Plague". There is a more pop sense to the song writing employed in this song but bathed in such stoned apathy that you almost don't notice. They step back onto the distortion in the final two minutes. The album's most questionable moment comes on the last song which is piano and vocals that are up close on the mic yet barely there, it reminds me of all the things I don't like about Smashing Pumpkins. It's the only song that won't make it cover onto the iPod, so I'll round this up to an 8.5, which puts it behind their first album. There is some growth in how they capture the sounds and this is a more subtle album. It might still grow on me over the course of the summer .