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Hard to believe it's already been 4 years since The Animal Spirits, an album I found rather lackluster. Equally hard to believe this is Slough Feg's ninth album in a career that spans nearly 25 years. Hell, the last album of theirs I unabashedly loved was Hardworlder from 7 frigging years ago. But this band won't give up the ghost, and they keep making individual, iconoclastic, defiantly trend-free music.

One of the great things about this band is they may change their sound, but they never change their approach. This is all about riffs, hooky vocal lines, and wry, clever lyrics. Mike Scalzi remains unique, with a voice that has only gotten more assured and charismatic with time. The riffs are pure classic Slough Feg material, traveling easily between pummeling riff attacks like "Analogue Avengers" and more textured work like "Habeas Corpsus". I have to say I enjoy when this band does atmospheric stuff, and I wish they did more.

As always, the great pleasure of a Slough Feg album is that you are not getting anything that has been focus-tested, pre-approved, or trying to catch a trend. No. Slough Feg are always their own thing, and Scalzi's unique approach and vision is so fundamentally a part of the music it might as well have a trademark.

This album may not touch the heights of Traveller, or Down Among the Deadmen (and really, so few albums can) It remains a stronger effort than either The Animal Spirits or Ape Uprising, and signals this band maybe on the way back up. Entirely worthy.