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Enigk still gets into the danger zone occasionally with his lyrics, but for those rooting for a return to form, OK Bear should work perfectly.
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OK Bear is a good album--it won't blow you away, but I get the sense from listening that Enigk is confident enough in his music not to need to blow you away.
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Fans of his Sunny Day Real Estate and Fire Theft days should be satisfied here. However, those who cringe at spiritual lyrics that make multiple references to the powers that be (and not as an ironic allusion to the Joss Whedon-verse) may need to look elsewhere.
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Enigk's undeniably rich and powerful voice has never sounded better, and his enigmatic lyrics remain resplendent with biblical imagery and magnetic poetry-engineered spiritual vagaries, but in removing the complex arrangements that have haunted nearly every one of his post-Sunny Day projects, he's exposed his weakest batch of songs to date.
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That penchant for swollen, cathedralsize arrangements--particularly on Coldplaylike cuts 'Late of Camera' and 'In a Look'--is a weakness, but hopefully, Enigk will learn to shake it off in favor of leaner renditions of his winning, winsome tunes.