More dark, danceable shadows from hipster-adored New York rockers
OK, let’s admit from the start that Our Love To Admire goes in no bold new direction for the latter-day mope-rock mavens. Falling somewhere between the full-on gloom of their debut and the peppier follow-up, Antics, this new disc may not be their Sgt. Pepper, but it’s still filled with morbidly catchy treats. There are moments of true inspiration, like the jaunty tale of lover’s wisdom “No I in Threesome” and the psych-harmony-laden “Mammoth.” At the same time, some might argue that the double-thump of “The Heinrich Maneuver” and the repetitive arpeggios of “All fired Up” sound a little too familiar to the knowing ear. But why quibble? It’s a solid disc that finds the band making steady ground in its flight from the shadow of Joy Division and the Velvet Underground. Godspeed, we say.