this is the fifth(ish) album from Ireland's So Cow, and after a couple outings with a full band (via albums on Goner and Inflated Records), Brian Kelly has gone back to playing everything by himself, like in the old days (ie. his self-released cd-rs, a few 7"s and two albums on Tic Tac Totally Records). Recording-wise, Brian may have regressed, but his new songs on this record are among the strongest he's ever written. With a recurring theme of anxiety, these 12 catchy little pop songs have the same nervous, kinetic energy found throughout his earlier works, filtered through the wisdom of experience. He's like a less-eccentric Martin Newell or a down-to-earth (yet more keyed-up) Daniel Treacy... an interesting character with even more interesting stories to tell.