Shape-shifting Canadian pop craftsman 's ninth studio album under the moniker added a whole lot of to a pot already boiling over with copious amounts of , and . 's predilection for pairing -inspired, semi-apocalyptic witticisms with glam-kissed, minor-seventh retro pop remained intact, but where previous outings like and mined the '70s for inspiration, 2011's utilizes '80s sophisti-pop, New Romantic, Northern soul, and straight-up adult contemporary to deliver a flawed but fascinating record. Like 's divisive, 2010 retro dance-pop tribute , is fully committed to its cause, wrapping everything up in a pristine, immaculately produced biosphere that's filled to the brim with twinkling synths, soft rock drums, and enough wailing trumpets and saxophones to out-mellow combined. Ever the well-read, secretly pleased malcontent ("I write poetry for myself"), sounds more comfortable in this new disguise than he does on his more troubadour-oriented projects, as if producing the soundtrack for a discotheque with a capacity of one was his intention all along. His epic 11-minute, 2009 single which he described at the time as "ambient disco," could hardly serve as a more fitting conclusion to , as it more than lives up to its creator's boast. all of which skillfully tread water between the urbane intellectualism of or and the quiet, technical nihilism of , differ very little from the remaining six cuts, which may cause fans of his more adventurous work some fits, but there's no denying their icy, coke-fueled 2:00 A.M. elegance. ~ James Christopher Monger