Too much everything, not enough something.

One thing is certain about Miniature Tigers’ newest album: It’s diverse.

On one hand, this means any listener is almost guaranteed to find at least one track he or she enjoys — but on the other, it means the album lacks any sense of coherence.

The album has everything from the sing-song-y pop beats of “Egyptian Robe” to the haunting melody and lyrics of “Lolita,” a song based on Nabokov’s eponymous novel.
“Mansion of Misery” has hints of the Beatles, while the opening of “Bullfighter Jacket” could easily be that of a Flaming Lips song.

The problem with such variety is that the album ends up sounding more like a tribute to a laundry list of other bands rather than a showcase of Miniature Tigers’ own sound.

Perhaps this is why “Fortress” is impossible not to like: To do so would mean rejecting every other band it emulates. Each song stands strong on its own, but when taken as a whole, the album approaches mediocrity.