Smooth electro-pop rarely gets its due. But don't spend too much time blaming the oft-awful purveyors of the form: otherwise you might miss the one's that are doing it right. Grand National is one of them. Their second album is full of the same tricks that made their debut such a slow-burning minor gem: understated songwriting, soaring often harmonized vocals and hooks galore. “Animal Sounds” does as good a job as any (although nearly everything here is of the same sterling quality): its slow arpeggiated keyboard welcomes you in, while Lawrence Rudd seduces you with his sweetened croon. Resistance, as they say, is futile.