Arriving one year after the release of , the five-song pairs four abandoned tracks from the sessions with a ukulele-helmed demo of Although it's certainly a stopgap recording -- released just before the bandmates' final tour in support of , and intended to maintain their popularity throughout the subsequent retreat to the recording studio -- is also a strong display of 's literate, poetry-major pop, with fast tempos and bright melodies that sometimes contrast ' autumnal moments. These once-discarded tracks don't sound any less tuneful than the band's recent output; in particular, could have bumped a lesser song off of the track list with its power pop bounce, while wields a winsomely ascending chorus that finds reaching into his falsetto. Such tunes may not have suited the bittersweet beauty of , but they're quite good in their own right, making something more than a fans-only release. The only arguable misstep is the demo version of (the only song to appear on , albeit in different form), whose bare-boned arrangement lacks the shifting dynamics of 's best material. ~ Andrew Leahey