Smile and the World Smiles With You

Following up the near-unanimous critical acclaim of their debut album, "We Sing Loud Sing Soft Tonight," Baltimore's Sonna delivers slow-motion acrobatics with a beat you can dance to. With tempos ranging from head-bobbing to head-nodding, their blend of shimmering counterpoint guitars, buttery bass, and shifting rhythms has become somewhat of a trademark that discerns them from similar bands of the ilk. Taking cues from Television, Brian Eno, Bedhead, Yo La Tengo, and maybe a little bit of The Beach Boys, their songs are simultaneously more complex, more subdue, and more catchy than ever before. Once again recorded by Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studio, the captivating energy of Sonna's live show is captured in brilliant detail, with every subtle nuance left intact. The songs were recorded live with barely an overdub in sight. At its most dense, you feel as if the band is playing right in front of you; at its most stark, you're convinced you could walk for miles and never get any closer. This mix of intimate and intimidating is what makes it such a fascinating listen.