With a title that's as much a call to arms as a call to rock out, ' offers a darker, more developed version of the passionate, in-the-red of their debut, . The most immediately noticeable difference between the two albums is the sound quality: instead of recording most of the songs to a cassette player in ' kitchen, as the band did with their first album, this time spent four days in a more traditional studio with friend/producer/ guitarist/organist . The result is an album that sounds cleaner but still keeps most of the band's ramshackle energy. However, have different reasons to sound urgent on than they did on ; though that album's tackled the politics of the indie scene, much of is just straight-up political, a response to the war in Iraq and other events in America and in the world that transpired after their debut was released. The switch to a moderately cleaner sound for this album pays off well in this regard, if only because it's easier to hear ' smart, talky lyrics with a few layers of static stripped from them. On songs like and -- on which he sneers, "Pray for a new state, pray for assassination" -- balances the power of protest chants with the same intricate wordplay and internal rhymes that made it worth dividing his lyrics from 's wash of noise. Even the songs that aren't overtly political still have political leanings: on described by as an "aggressive love song," he sings, "When you don't have control, you have to pretend." Likewise, have a bouncy idealism that stands in sharp contrast to 's more charged moments. one of the best songs have yet written, is both upbeat and political, an anthem about trying to keep some hope even in challenging times. Owing to its themes, is a shade or two less exuberant than , but it's no less passionate or energetic, and it proves can introduce new sounds and ideas into their music without losing what made them worth listening to in the first place. ~ Heather Phares