Though
Encyclopedia is
the Drums' first album since their debut to feature just the core duo of
Jonny Pierce and
Jacob Graham, it's not a return to the happy-go-lucky sound of their early days. Instead, on their first album in three years,
Graham and
Pierce take even more risks than they did on their second album,
Portamento, with notably uneven results. The pair holed up in a cabin in upstate New York to record
Encyclopedia, which might explain the slightly crazed feel of "Magic Mountain," which between its buzzsaw guitars and
Pierce's yelp, sounds more like
the Pixies than anything from their previous albums. Topped by theremin-like keyboards, it's a bracingly weird, strangely catchy two-minute song that, unfortunately, goes on for four minutes. Though nothing else on
Encyclopedia sounds quite like "Magic Mountain," several other songs teeter between hooky and irritating and run out of interesting ideas before they end. "Kiss Me Again" charms with fizzy synths and falsettos before repetition gets the better of it, while "Break My Heart" and "U.S. National Park" slow the album's momentum with sugary, sleepy kitsch. During
the Drums' hiatus after
Portamento,
Pierce and
Graham sampled different flavors of electronic pop with their respective solo projects. In particular,
Graham's wistful analog synth work as Cascading Slopes informs
Encyclopedia's fascination with retro keyboards, which ranges from the poignant album closer "Wild Geese" to "Bell Laboratories," which aims for experimental but ends up sounding unfinished. As on
Portamento,
Pierce and
Graham are still in a gloomy frame of mind, although the music that accompanies their lyrics about death, heartbreak, and emptiness comes with a shot of adrenaline that rivals
the Drums' early days. Again, the results range from uninspired tracks like "Let Me" and "Face of God" to highlights such as "I Can't Pretend"'s bummer-pop and the crisply catchy "There Is Nothing Left," which is one of the best updates of their sound yet. While
Encyclopedia is slightly more entertaining than
Portamento, it finds
the Drums facing similar problems; they don't have to stick with the formula that made them popular, but so far they haven't consistently delivered anything as good. [
Encyclopedia was also released on LP.] ~ Heather Phares