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Record Review - The Most Serene Republic's ...And The Ever Expanding Universe

The Most Serene Republic are members of a very special fraternity of bands I used to love when they weren't trying so hard to write real songs. Along with Tilly and the Wall, Architecture in Helsinki and Thunderbirds Are Now!, these bands were at their best when they didn't have any preconceptions of what a song should be and just threw sounds against a wall until they found something they liked. They were rebellious. They were freeform. They were exciting. And then they all went on tour, met other bands, worked with producers, learned what a song is "supposed" to be, and produced mediocre formulaic pop albums. 2007's Population was an incredible disappointment after the lung-filling breath of fresh air that was debut Underwater Cinematographer. Thankfully, though, it seems that The Most Serene Republic's newest effort finds a happy middle between their debut's contained chaos and sophomore overproduced pop confusion festival. Melodies are consistent and structure never breaks wildly, but at least the arhythmic whistling, syncopated beats and hum-guitar harmonies are back. "Bubble Reputation" welcomes listeners with possibly the most cinematic atmosphere in the band's history, "All of One is the Other" creates a scene of operatic constraint before the Yann Tiersen-esque instrumental "Patternicity", and the whole package explodes with the vibrant staccato pop diamond "Don't Hold Back, Feel a Little Longer". Welcome back, Most Serene Repbulic, and thanks for creating an album that lives up to both its own title as well as the band's name.