I haven't written much about the album but I've been listening to it over and over again. And I might in the near future go out on a limb and say this is their best since the debut. WEB,WAB just sounds very slight now, despite having stellar peaks like Miserabilia, the title track, and Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #1. Nothing else on there is really essential. I spoke about Romance Is Boring the other day. It's a strong work. It has a lot of variety. It's more playful lyrically without falling back on too many football references. But it only has a few songs that I really, really love.
But as I said, this one is pretty damned consistent, the only track not really doing too much for me is The Time Before The Last Time which is at least over quickly, and not the final song on the album. That closer is easily their best since Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks.
The CD booklet has some nice art direction, and I know that many don't give a fuck about this kind of stuff, but the fonts and typesetting are bold and clear and makes reading the lyrics less of a hassle. There's a lot of death imagery on the album, even more than usual. And yet, it's usually done with tongue planted firmly in cheek so Gareth doesn't sound like a boring moper.
Ranked:
1. As Lucerne/The Low
2. What Death Leaves Behind
(these first two are really close)
3. Avocado, Baby
4. Cemetery Gaits
5. Glue Me
6. For Flotsam
7. Selling Rope
8. A Portrait Of The Trequartista...
9. Let It Spill
10. The Time Before The Last Time