Static & Silence

It took the Sundays five years to deliver their third album, Static & Silence. Five years is a long time, especially in the quicksilver world of pop music, but the Sundays sound totally unbothered by their absence on Static & Silence. Instead of sounding labored and forced, the album is gentle and effortless, as if it were recorded five months after Blind instead of five years. In some ways, that's a disappointment -- it would have been nice for the duo to show some progression, considering all of their time off -- but the record delivers the pleasant, endearing jangle pop that is the Sundays' signature sound. There's certainly nothing as catchy as "Here's Where the Story Ends" on Static & Silence, and there aren't many songs that are instantly memorable, yet the album has a quiet charm that should satisfy most longtime fans.