Having just scored their first big hits with , inexplicably took a step into arcana with its follow-up, . Foregoing the radio-ready style of delves deeply into mania, creating a swift, brutally funny and insanely catchy send-up of the Fab Four's entire career. Clearly, the high (nearly arty) concept makes the first album since to sound like it is solely the work of . The music is so savvy, it's clear that these songs are primarily the work of , even if they're credited to . is able to write songs that evoke specific eras of career and have them be funny without being a slave to parody. Like , this music works well on its own merits and, unlike is as credible with psychedelia ("Hoi Poloi") or "Eleanor Rigby" chamber-pop ("Life Goes On") as he is with Merseybeat ("I Just Want to Touch You," "Crystal Ball"). Unlike , it sounds like it was recorded in 1980, not the '60s, which intensifies the feeling that is merely a curiosity or an exercise for , but since the entire thing is finished in just over a half hour, it feels more like a burst of cynical joy that is damn near impossible to resist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine