Gave this one a couple of spins and have some mixed feelings.
Pitchfork pretty much nails it, at least after a shallow perusal of the tracks.
It's their last album writ large. The highs are higher and more numerous, but the lows scrape bottom, carving alarming gouges in the landscape.
But on balance it's just better. Elephant had one standout track, the epic blues stomp Ball And Biscuit, several really good songs and a bunch of throwaways. This time around they deliver no less than three really excellent tunes.
I'd like the quality to be a little more even, but in the end how many releases deliver even one really great, liberating tune? In book terms, one Fine copy of a great book is worth an infinite number of Very Good ones. And this album has three Fines nested among the book club releases and remaindered titles.
A pretty good average.
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