Like many songs on this album, "All My Love" mirrors the mood of R.E.M.'s Automatic For The People, though singer Mark Eitzel is a very different front man to Michael Stipe. Alcohol has been a constant companion to Eitzel's life, inspiring many of his lyrics. This is true of "The John Berchman Victory Choir". The slide guitar gives this song a Hawaiian flavour, recalling AMC classic "Hula Maiden" though this is more celebratory in nature. This lightening of mood is deliberate. On the band's myspace page they say: 'Dark music is for people who are healthy enough to take it – and AMC want to appeal to all people – including the sick'. This is all relative, Eitzel isn't going to break into a rendition of "The Sun Has Got His Hat On" at any moment, but it does sound as if the clouds have parted a little.

There is darkness in "Decibels and the Little Pills" which describes the intoxication at the start of a relationship. Yet the crazy and impulsive things you do in such a state can lead to sadness: 'In the bar when you were playing air ... you can't find a face without a trace of despair...' Eitzel has a sonorous tone on "The Sleeping Beauty" which has the mood and feel of The Blue Nile. He notes that he is 'selfish with my time/like it was something I could keep." There's more Blue Nile atmospherics for "The Stars" during the verse at least. Heavy guitars break the mood, but allow the song to soar during the chorus. I love American Music Club's quieter moments, but sometimes you need a thunderstorm to appreciate the clear skies.

Eitzel is not man to shy away from a long title. "All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco" is fairly restrained compared to previous efforts such as "What Godzilla Said to God When His Name Wasn't Found in the Book of Life" and "How Many Six Packs Does it Take to Screw in a Light". There's a jazzy feel to this song. It's a little too lightweight for my tastes, though Eitzel raises a wry smile when he sings: 'Give me some hope or just enough rope...' Images of Crowded House are called to mind during "Who You Are". I think it's in the backing vocals. If you were lying on the beach, chilling out with a beer this song would make perfect sense.

These songs might have been designed to lull the listener into a false sense of security. "Windows On The World" is the highlight of the album. At first the words take centre stage. Mark attempts to 'bore the bored barmaid' and the reply is bad language and the acid putdown: 'I love your look, it's so unabomber.' The climax is almost shoegazing, with its walls of distorted noise, building to a satisfying finale. There's an apocalyptic feel to these two songs, which at first seems to dissipate during "One Step Ahead" yet there are jagged shards sounds hidden here too. The killer line: 'I don't care how you choose to die/I only care if you wanna live...'

"The Dance" sounds lightweight and upbeat, but the lyrics tell a darker story. Then things go really weird for "I Know That's Not Really You" which is based around a mariachi waltz. I've never been a fan of these musical experiments, but this is inoffensive enough. A squall of electric guitar towards the end keeps things interesting. Many of Eitzel's most magical moments have consisted of him and an acoustic guitar, which is how "On My Way" starts. The other instruments join later and provide subtle ornamentation. Just when you think that you know where this song will go we get another explosion of noise as last heard "Windows On The World". This is the quiet/loud dynamic at its most extreme and it works well, taking the listener on a rollercoaster of a ride to a feedback-ridden finish. That only leaves "The Grand Duchess of San Francisco" to bring matters to an end. Just as the previous song benefited from being quiet and then loud, this song benefits from being quiet all the way through.

Usually when a band decides to appeal to more people - and cheer up in an effort to achieve this - these actions should be seen as warning signs. Yet it's a tribute to AMC that this album is 'business as usual', more so than their last album "Love Songs For Patriots". If you have all the previous AMC albums you may or may not be grateful for 'more of the same'. Yet it seems churlish to deny the band to make music that sounds like themselves – and at least the band sound as if they are enjoying themselves a bit more these days.