Released swiftly after -- just a year and a half, all things considered -- plays like a riposte to that haunted 2014 album. Where spent in a mournful mood -- his sorrow perhaps derived from his divorce to or perhaps not; it's best not to read too much into the tabloid headlines -- the leader sees nothing but sunshine and stars on . gives away the game with his song titles. He's quite literally having "Fun" on an "Amazing Day," living for the weekend and viewing his impending middle age as nothing so much as the "Adventure of a Lifetime." match his optimism by tempering their signature soft focus, pushing themselves toward the light and undergirding the newfound positivity via glittering disco beats and a gossamer electronic sheen. Arriving after the deliberately dour , this infusion of backbeat and glitz does indeed feel welcome and bold, suggesting the band is determined to seize every bit of life headed its way. This carpe diem spirit courses throughout , turning it into a 21st century equivalent of 's , a divorce record where every end seems like a fresh new beginning. Appropriately, invite more than a few guests to help usher them into this brave new world, the showiest being , who overwhelms the band's innate politeness on "Hymn for the Weekend," but eases right into "Fun" and amiably allows himself to be swallowed by the gentle wash of guitars and synths. All these cameos suit the overarching theme of -- how there's a big, bright, beautiful world just waiting to be discovered if you just open your heart and live a little -- and if this message is unabashedly corny, under the stewardship of , feel genuine in their embrace of middle age. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine