Four shades of grey, but 13 crayons in box

In an album that was raised from the dead much the way of Wilco's highly prized Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Minus 5's latest offering delivers a diverse set of tunes built around the songwriting of Young Fresh Fellows' front man Scott McCaughey. This time through, the indie co-op also includes REM's Peter Buck, the Posies' Ken Stringfellow and Wilco. While McCaughey assumes most of the lead vocal duties, the array of instrumentation is spread amongst the other contributing musicians. Both the songwriting and the instrumental interplay allude to a dedication to Beach Boy Brian Wilson, as the songs drift from somber, melancholy excursions to cheerful jangle-pop. \n Regardless of the tone, each number is built upon a foundation of subtle synthesizer undertones, which recalls producer Nigel Godrich's work with Radiohead and Beck. The sheer quantity of electronic and organic instrumental textures retains the continuity of the album amid the ample albeit unrelated hodgepodge of tunes. While the songs and arrangements are quite pleasant throughout, this album, much like the group that recorded it, is a novelty and is not likely to be embraced by those who are unfamiliar with the previous work of individual Minus 5 members.