The scholarly of 's debut sounded self-assured, but on , they step out of their ivory tower with just as much confidence. In all senses of the term, this is a sophomore album. The band still flaunts the collegiate sense of discovery that made charming -- and sometimes too precious -- but with more maturity and creativity. Another is just as much of a force on as any of the band's much-noted influences ( , 's ): - project with , which released its album after the pair found acclaim with their day jobs. While aren't as shiny and sugary as , some of that adventurousness rubbed off on production, which plays to the band's biggest strength: inspired juxtaposition. The album's artwork, which pairs a blonde WASP princess in a popped-collar polo shirt with the term given to Nicaraguan rebels, hints at the flair with which play mix-and-match on . They throw listeners into the deep end with which features a four-on-the-floor beat, thumb piano, rubbery synth bass, and massed harmonies -- almost everything except the spry guitars that helped define their first album. goes farther, tweaking 's yelp with Auto-Tune, the bete noire of those who value "realness" in their music; for , it's just another instrument for them to play with. On paper, 's hybrids seem more contrived than they actually sound: fuses and into a sweet melody propelled by choppy rhythms. is even more far-fetched and fantastic, adding samples of -- exactly the kind of things you'd expect to hear on a young globetrotter's iPod -- to nostalgic . The album bustles with so many sounds and ideas that it challenges listeners to decide where to put their ears first, particularly on the single a blur of guitars and jump-cut drums that sounds like abstract . Despite this busyness, are looser and less cryptic than on their debut, allowing them to tell stories like an Iraqi war protest set to skanking guitars (ever the font snob, can't resist mentioning a headline in "96-point Futura"). Even the few quiet moments are complex: closes the album by wanting, and hating, the kind of privilege that brings "good schools and friends with pools." And though the band is committed to change, the same joy that soared through pops up on which boasts a melody so irrepressible that just might want to borrow it. With make Auto-Tune and real live guitars, Mexican drinks, Jamaican riffs and Upper West Side strings belong together, and this exciting lack of boundaries offers more possibilities than anyone could have expected. ~ Heather Phares