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Older, wiser, and a little weathered around the edges, Versus no longer has time for irony or niceties. Accordingly, On The Ones isn't a nostalgic tickle--it's a wake-up punch.
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While this is a darker album in some ways than their earlier work, there's no bummer vibe here. Lyrically, it's obvious that these are songs written by someone who has seen a few years come and go, and their pop sense has been burnished and built into the songs of a group that knows how to make a trio memorable.
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The twinkles of music past have been removed, and in their place, gravel has been thrown across the guitars--darkness creeps forward and the album builds and crashes with fervor.
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While almost all of the group's back catalog is solid, On the Ones and Threes has a clarity and distinctiveness lacking on many of the earlier records.
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Weirdly calm yet supremely uneasy, On the Ones and Threes fluctuates constantly from folk to psychedelia to grunge, often in a single song.
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The album may have its bumps, but the unassuming charm these guys have always brought to their records comes through more often than not.
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Even if this album plays hard to get, there's plenty to love for those willing to listen.