1. We’re So Starving
2. Nine In The Afternoon **
3. She’s A Handsome Woman
4. Do you Know What I’m Seeing? **
5. The Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed) **
6. I Have Friends In Holy Spaces **
7. Northern Downpour **
8. When The Day Met The Night **
9. Pas De Cheval **
10. The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know
11. Behind The Sea
12. Folkin’ Around **
13. She Had The World**
14. Form A Mountain In The Middle Of The Cabins
15. Mad As Rabbits

**Clear Favorites
The only thing that sounds the same between the albums is the singers voice. Everything else about “Pretty. Odd.” is totally different from its predecessor. It’s so different that I refuse to compare the two, simply because it is like comparing an Air Rifle to a Railgun. Sure they’re both guns, and they have triggers, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end.

To start, gone are the head-bopping hyper-beats of the first album. They’ve been replaced with a much more slowed and controlled flow. There is heavy use of acoustic guitars, harmonies, and random background noises such as birds and trains. There is even an introduction of brass in some of the songs, which I appreciated. All of the tracks show a stunning advancement in maturity for the band, and it shines through in how tight all of the musical areas are pulled together. The melodies are much stronger, and far more complex than before. The singing has been slowed down, and though the language is still as intelligent as it always was, it’s slow enough that you can actually tell what they’re saying this time.

Throughout the whole album is a very strong folk-feel. All of the songs sound like they could be sung around a campfire (if you had enough alcohol in you at least) and fill you – or at least myself – with a warm , fuzzy feeling. Where the first album was all about throwing unique music in your face, “Pretty. Odd.” does a good job of bringing you along for the ride instead of being subjected to itself. It’s much calmer, partially because of the use of ukulele, tambourine, and fiddles. This is not music you are going to hear played in clubs all that often, that’s for sure.

There is still a large influence from music long since past. Many of the songs feel reminiscent to early 90′s T.V. themes or movie themes from the 80′s. Pas De Cheval sounds like the band watched every episode of Bonanza before going to the studio.

One thing I noticed was the strong introduction and use of harmonies with the band. Other members are given ample chance to sing their own parts, varying the experience of the album greatly. ‘Behind The Sea’ is a perfect example of this. The lead singer only sings backup during the entire track, giving the others a chance to really shine as the singers that they are.

An issue I have with the album is the fact that there are 15 tracks. This is nice, since you now get more music for your money. It’s also a pain because now you have more music on the CD. There is a reason that artists tend to limit the number of tracks of their CDs. If you have too many tracks, people will start to get bored which results in their turning off, or tuning out the rest of your hard work. I can see that happening with “Pretty. Odd.” really easily. I don’t see this album getting as boring as “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” or at the very least, not as fast, but it’ still possible.

I’m shocked with how much I ended up liking “Pretty. Odd.”. With a complete departure from their first album, they’ve managed to re-invent their sound and probably earned some new fans (and lost some old ones). You need to listen to the album yourself to really come to a decision yourself, because this is an album that will divide people down the middle. I personally like this album far more than their first one, and I used to love their first album.

8/10