It's sad to say, but the urgency isn't back yet. The wit, the humor, the breakneck speed is still absent on this album, and that's a bummer. Whatever it is that caused them to lose interest in making songs like Straight In At 101 and There Are Listed Buildings has crippled them such that they're still making emotionally wrought tunes 90% of the time.
Thankfully, this is a much more natural record than the last one on several levels. The melodies are very strong and likable, and Gareth is no longer indulging in self-pity to the exhausting degree he did on Hello Sadness. Most of these songs feel complete and quite well written, with nothing that goes off the rails.
In general, I like this album. I especially like Cemetery Gaits (horrendous pun aside) and Avacado Baby. This really isn't the direction I was hoping they would go in though, inching ever closer to po-faced alternative pop/rock and further away from the joyous music they used to make.