In Brief

The veteran English sextet’s follow-up to 1993’s “Laid” is way more fun than the title might suggest. Skillfully blending the band’s dual folk-pop and dance-music fascinations, the album revs up high with the towering “She’s a Star.” The band then ebulliently plows through various alternative pop styles, from the jungle-inflected “Greenpeace” to the Pixies-esque “Go to the Bank” to the techno-pop anthem “Avalanche.”

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).

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Hear the Music

* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: http://arstechnica.netblogpro.com/soundclips