When Andrew Brough left Straitjacket Fits last year, he took most of the band's introspective `60s vibe with him, giving a weird, wired pop group that had been striving to burst from the confines of its dark, silky cocoon an opportunity to do so. While the band's last effort swayed and swooshed in higher atmospheres, Blow rocks with conviction and roils with feedback. The malignant undercurrent that has always imbued Straitjacket Fits' melodies with drama and intensity is still evident, but now that darkness is even more apparent because of the forcefulness of the new songs. Shayne Carter's distinctive vocals radiate more of his previously understated anger and urgency, sounding like he's just awoken from a long sleep to find everything around him has fallen to pieces, and new guitarist Mark Petersen brings a welcome element of turmoil to the band. Even so, Straitjacket Fits still writes cloudy, surreal songs suffused with breezy guitar passages - only the clouds have darkened and the breezes have become more gusty. "Done" opens with a single note that feeds back into a catchy lick backed by a siren-like riff, "Falling" blends shimmering melody with tuneful bursts of distortion, and "If I Were You" twists slippery guitars around a soft, sumptuous rhythm. Also try these on for size: "Cat Inna Can," "Joyride" and "Brother's Keeper."

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