From the first notes of 's second album, , it was clear the band had done more than their share of growing up since their self-titled debut, which had come out the year before. The title cut leaps out of the gate with a tight snap that leaves anything on the first album in the dust; drummer and bassist sound far tighter and more unified as a rhythm section, and guitarist and vocalist reveals a taut, slashing authority that was quite a change from the sloppy, sometimes meandering sound he'd summoned up his first time at bat. Just as roadwork had firmed up 's sound, their songwriting was also steadily improving; the ultra-catchy sounded like it could have been a hit single in some alternate universe, while and indicated they were learning to work better with trickier structures, and prove they could slow down effectively and communicate something other than a rant. While the band was still working the last vestiges of their clear influence at this point ( was in the producer's chair once again for this set), made it clear was far more than just 's little brother band. The CD adds a nice acoustic cover of by as a bonus -- yet another touch you would never have expected judging from their debut. ~ Mark Deming