iSound

CLAIR DE LUNE's Assisted Living continues this Minneapolis quintet's emphasis on social commentary - substance abuse, governmental deceit and consumer greed - and entwines it with their intensely passionate, kinetic indie rock bombast. The result is an album's worth of bruising yet beautiful anthems and more unpredictable twists and turns than most bands can muster in a lifetime. Although CLAIR DE LUNE draws from punk's raucous urgency, emo's textured dynamics and hardcore's reckless breakdowns, they never succumb to stereotypes and Assisted Living's passion is matched only by its eagerness to experiment with new sounds. Assisted Living is like two freight trains on an inevitable collision course: one engine spewing white-knuckled riffs, a throbbing rhythm section and anthemic call-and-response vocals; the other powered by warm keys washing over the more introspective moments which provide the framework to songs like “Criminal” and the album's title track. The record's beauty is...