I had my first listen last night. I was struck with how natural the album sounds as a progression from Boxer and High Violet. The best term I have for it is "smoldering" - as others have noted, none of these songs really explode like a Mistaken for Strangers or a Terrible Love, but the emotional intensity is there nonetheless, especially on Demons, Don't Swallow the Cap, and Pink Rabbits. My girlfriend's take on the mood was that the narrator is searching for something that is just out of reach; mine was that the narrator has something he really values but fears it is about to disintegrate. Either way, it gets across a palpable sense of fatigue and unease. Matt has said this is a "funny" album, but to my ears it is deathly serious - I see the point others have made about him being self-deprecating, but I think that is typically a sign of intensive self-reflection rather than comedy. Anyway, kudos to Matt: he is in top form lyrically and vocally, especially in the way that he tries out new cadences and tones in his singing. Bryan is the best drummer in the business right now - that to me is indisputable. The Dessners have done some tremendous work on the production as well: djerdap mentioned I Need My Girl in this regard, and I want to echo his thoughts about how well this song adapted to the studio. I'm just rambling now, but I'll have much fuller thoughts after a few more listens. One last thought: I don't think it even makes sense to talk about "better" or "worse" with this band anymore, as their whole catalogue is sounding more and more like one grand, unified statement.