Nassau, the Sea and Cake’s sophomore album, is even more ambitious and eclectic than its predecessor: Opening with the bracing “Nature Boy” and the group’s most kinetically charged effort to date, the record quickly shifts gears to grow dark and subdued. The two instrumentals, “Earth Star” and the enigmatically titled “A Man Who Never Sees a Pretty Girl That He Doesn’t Love Her a Little,” spotlight the group’s burgeoning jazz inclinations, while “The Cantina” is an abstract pop curveball; Sam Prekop’s melodic gifts continue to blossom on the loping “Lamonts Lament” and the melancholy “Parasol,” and the increased involvement of drummer/producer John McEntire pushes the group into new rhythmic and textural territory. Another winner. – Jason Ankeny