The excellent fourth outing from Vancouver-based indie rockers Mother Mother continues in the eclectic, electric vein of 2011's Eureka, further distancing the group from its folk roots.
Manic, melodic, methodical, and deliriously malcontent, The Sticks blends the mad glee and primal, rhythmic snap of Spoon with the fanciful musicality of the New Pornographers.
Songs like "Bit by Bit," "Let's Fall in Love," and "Infinitesimal" shake the rafters with considerable aplomb, while more expansive, less propulsive numbers like "Waiting for the World to End," "Little Pistol," and the wonderfully self-loathing "Dread in My Heart" suggest an alternate universe where Nickel Creek was mentored by the Pixies instead of Alison Krauss.