If anything, 's third album represents the full flower of their classic sound initially essayed on its predecessor, . One of the differences between the two albums is that is tighter, with none of the five-minute-plus jams that filled out both their debut and , but the true key to its success is a peak in 's creativity. Although had at least one cover on each album, they relied on to crank out new material every month. He was writing so frequently that the craft became second-nature and he laid his emotions and fears bare, perhaps unintentionally. Perhaps that's why has fear, anger, dread, and weariness creeping on the edges of gleeful music. This was a band that played rock & roll so joyously that they masked the, well, "sinister" undercurrents in 's songs. has the famous line "Hope you've got your things together/Hope you're quite prepared to die," but that was only the most obvious indication of 's gloom. Consider all the other dark touches: the "Sinister purpose knocking at your door"; the chaos of ; the threat of death in ; you only return to the idyllic "Green River" once you get lost and realize the "world is smolderin'." Even the ballads have a strong melancholy undercurrent, highlighted by where imagines himself stuck playing in dead-end towns for the rest of his life. Not the typical thoughts of a newly famous rock & roller, but certainly an indication of 's inner tumult. For all its darkness, is ultimately welcoming music, since the band rocks hard and bright and the melancholy feels comforting, not alienating. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine