While is a real person, the persona he's fashioned over the course of ' recording career seems to have strolled out of a novel set in the Deep South in the early years of the 20th century, where his character is a boozy yet personable self-styled philosopher never at a loss for some lopsided wisdom on life's passing parade. 's character seemed to be wrestling with the precarious balance of breezy wit and the obstacles of living in America in 2019 on ' , and he's still figuring out the proportions on 2021's . However, feels more comfortable and confident in the belief that we're living in a difficult time and must acknowledge the gravity of the moment, even if we can't help but snicker about it every once in a while. Though mounting a soapbox is a relatively new concept for , you wouldn't know it from listening to . These songs are full of a wobbly confidence that puts a tight focus on the personal and political, lashing out at a world of waste and injustice ("To-Do List," "Money Talks") while wavers between a playful appreciation of his own eccentricity ("Jazz on the Autobahn") and a less charitable observer who has something timely and eloquent to say. The band's ragged but right grooves are in especially good shape this time out: 's vocals and guitar hit a deft sweet spot between thoughtful and surreal, and his multi-instrumentalist brother and the rhythm section of bassist and drummer have taken the notion of loosely tight and given it flesh, lending their indie folk melodies a framework that has just enough give but never falls over. It's anyone's guess what manner of global calamity will greet the next time they go into the recording studio, but if gives us anything to go by, they'll approach it with wisdom and heart, two qualities this album has in healthy quantities. ~ Mark Deming