With their fourth album and first for Elektra, Mint Condition tightens up their songwriting substantially, making Life's Aquarium one of their best efforts to date.

The group's melodies and instrumental interplay are focused and confident, and that assurance is also apparent in the album's tone: Where past Mint Condition releases were highlighted by smooth romantic material, the high points of Life's Aquarium tend to be in the form of sexy loverman come-ons.

It's refreshing to hear the group broadening their range somewhat, but the album's real strength is simply the fact that Mint Condition has cut down on the aimless meandering that often cluttered their past releases, helping to make the songs more consistently memorable.