The Dodos – Carrier

It may still only be August, but going by the number of cosy autumnal folk bands sniffing out of their burrows, the leaves must be falling already. To be fair, The Dodos were one of the earliest espousers of the new acoustic breed. But with sprinklings of energetic psych-pop thrown liberally into the mix, the Californian duo always seemed to promise something a little more interesting than their peers; sadly, this fifth studio LP suffers from a conspicuous absence of spark. 

Track three, Confidence, lives up to its title, conjuring the same bubbly spirit as Visiter (perhaps their finest hour). But elsewhere, that infectious fizz seems to have faded. There’s a disappointing homogeneity at play –reaching a nadir at track ten, the singularly cheerless Death. Carrier is serviceable enough, and will please fans who worried over a grittier change of direction, but it’s powerfully hard to remain excited about.