The excellent fourth outing from Vancouver-based indie rockers
Mother Mother continues in the eclectic, electric vein of 2011's
Eureka, further distancing the group from its folk roots. Manic, melodic, methodical, and deliriously malcontent,
The Sticks blends the mad glee and primal, rhythmic snap of
Spoon with the fanciful musicality of
the New Pornographers. Songs like "Bit by Bit," "Let's Fall in Love," and "Infinitesimal" shake the rafters with considerable aplomb, while more expansive, less propulsive numbers like "Waiting for the World to End," "Little Pistol," and the wonderfully self-loathing "Dread in My Heart" suggest an alternate universe where
Nickel Creek was mentored by
the Pixies instead of
Alison Krauss. ~ James Christopher Monger