Dissolver

Nearly six years passed between Aaron Aites' second noise pop opus as Iran, The Moon Boys, and Dissolver, during which time guitarist Kyp Malone became a member of one of the most acclaimed bands of the 2000s, TV on the Radio. Maybe that's why Dissolver strips away most of the confrontational side of Iran's music in favor of the pop that was underneath the noise all along (it's almost certainly why Malone's TVOTR bandmate David Sitek produced this album). Iran fans who were more attached to the surface chaos of the band's first two albums might be initially disappointed by how this album seems to lack that bite — only "Digital Clock and Phone"'s electronics and guitar freakout hint at Iran's noise-laden past. And at times, it does feel like Iran is adjusting to their new direction: "Airport '79" and "Baby Let's Get High One Last Time Together" meander a little more than they should, though they reflect the more classic rock-inspired direction of Dissolver's songwriting and arrangements. However, the album has more than its fair share of moments that rank with Iran's previous heights, albeit with a more straightforward sound: "Buddy" is shambling and bittersweet, "I Already Know You're Wrong" moves from jangly verses to soulful choruses with surprising ease, and "Can I Feel What?" is a lush, emotional epic. That these songs sound more than a little like TV on the Radio might please some and disappoint others, but the cranky, cryptic "Where I'm Going" and "Cape Canaveral/Buddy (Reprise)," which switches from acoustic rambling to an arena-rock reworking of "Buddy" complete with cheering fans, show that Iran's strangeness is still intact. The album ends with its most irresistible song, "Evil Summer." A mix of veiled threats and bounding guitars, it proves that Dissolver isn't the sound of Iran turning its back on its past, it's the sound of a band finding ways to be more complicated, and accessible, than ever.