Stars, Sad Robots

Sad robots are nothing new in the indie-rock world. Grandaddy, for example, pretty much based their entire career on them. But when Stars go the route of depressed android, it's a cause for concern: The band has always contained plenty of synths, but has been vigilant about leavening them with fathoms-deep toms and chiming guitars. Luckily, the group's most electronic outing since their 2001 debut, Nightsongs, works mostly in spite of its concept. Sad robots have rarely written pop songs as catchy as "A Thread Cut with a Carving Knife."

That song comes after the throwaway opener "Maintenance Hall, 4 AM" which, along with the closing title track, attempts coherence by bookending the record with soundscapes that are pretty and little more. "A Thread," however, more than makes up for the dalliance: It's a nearly six-minute thesis statement for why this band exists. Torquil Campbell and Amy Milan trade vocals over a shuffling beat before things explode into a triumphant chorus led by a squalling guitar. Like her turn on "Going, Going, Gone (Live Version) — taking over here from Emily Haines, who originally sang it on Nightsongs — Milan is no tired coquette. She's simply tired, telling us that it's best to close our "eyes until tomorrow."

Milan's near-faceless delivery gives her moments of tremble all the more power, which is one reason why the song that follows, "Undertow," works so well. Here she further undercuts the sad-robot vibe by cooing over a bridge that's as funky as this lily-white band has ever been. The group, Milan included, soon pulls back into familiar modes, but it's a fascinating sidelight &#8212 much like Sad Robots itself.