If you haven't discovered the group yet, by all means snap up this lush slab of synth pop.

With the new directions in sound, there are a couple places where the group stumbles just a bit.

A technicolor blast that pairs hooky guitar and keyboard riffs with plenty of four on the floor beats and sing-along vocals.

The Humbucking Coil doesn't really tread any new ground for Fleischmann, but it's another enjoyable and solid little release in his discography.

Definitely a bit more hit-or-miss than some of his past work.

While all the songs are nicely performed and recorded, they simply don't capture the amazing qualities of Case and her band.

As always, Can Cladders is immaculately-produced, with an airy feel that emphasizes the breezy songs.

Let Us Never Speak Of It Again is at the same time better than Street Dad in several ways, but also much more indulgent (sometimes in bad ways) than its concise predecessor.

WIncing The Night Away as a whole is both inconsistent and even odd in sequencing.

Fans of each respective artist may scratch their head a bit when first hearing 13 & God, but it will mostly make sense after awhile. If it doesn't, it's probably not supposed to.

As a whole, the release is a bit stronger on the front end, but it's charming enough for the duration that a couple weaker (and somewhat repetitive, given the bands thus-limited oeuvre) tracks don't hold it back too much.

Although In Ghost Colours is certainly a step up in terms of how cohesive it sounds, it loses some of the spontaneity in the process.

It's fun stuff, and I imagine their live show would be even better.

It still doesn't quite have the emotional grab of some of their older work despite the addition of more vocals and a slightly more glossy sound.

While there are a couple of tracks that are completely amazing, the album as a whole could have used a little better sequencing to make it more tight.

Musically and lyrically, it continues right along in the same footsteps of their last album, and in the case of some tracks is even much better.

In the end, The Reminder is by no means a bad album, but it certainly could have used a bit more trimming and a little less of a focus on the soft pop side of things.

Less visceral than "Cryptograms," this follow-up shows two sides of a group that still hasn't quite figured out exactly what they want to be.

There are several songs on the release that are easily among the best that the group has ever done, but by the time the 15 tracks and well over an hour run length are over, the release feels a bit on the long side and many of the shorter tracks simply feel like sketches that weren't fully fleshed-out.

If you were a bit let down by the last Bright Eyes album (as I was), this is a release that should get you excited again.

Fans of the group's early work might find the album a bit trying at first, but it's still the same old group for the most part.

It's nice to hear him breaking free of the contraints that he's laid out for himself thus far.

For most other groups, it would be a winner, but for Built To Spill it's a slight comedown from their stellar streak.

Whether they're toying with different sounds that have been explored by other groups or pulling out the stops on tracks like "Air Methods," they've still managed to create an interesting batch of tracks.

It's a diverse album in terms of textures, and those extra layers help give the band a developed sound beyond most debut releases.

Wind In The Wires just feels a bit more hesitant than Lycanthropy, and while there are some great tracks, it doesn't quite have the same energy that his debut did.

The album is a bit hit-or-miss, fortunately more of the former than the latter.

If you like well-constructed pop/rock music with female vocals, it's definitely worth a look.