INSOUND RECOMMENDED. In late 2003, with more than 20 songs completed, The Race approached electronic duo Telefon Tel Aviv to help produce a new record. Over the course of two months, The Race and Telefon broke down the music to its essential elements and then began to build it back up again. The Race's preference for simple song structures and dynamically powerful writing, combined with the exquisite production of Telefon Tel Aviv, has resulted in the stunningly beautiful "If You Can." From the opening piano chords, a mood is set; a perfect hum, slow and building. Layer upon layer of swirling guitars and pianos collect while sounds both natural and inorganic blend seamlessly -- almost unsettlingly so -- to paint what is at the album's core: a collection of haunting and hopeful stories. The Race has always aimed to grab hold of something beautiful -- sonic qualities, virtuosity, and ego aside. On "If You Can," they present a comfortable chaos for quiet moments. Or, more accurately, something that quiets in chaotic moments.