The Drums - 'Portamento'

Frenchkiss / Moshi Moshi; 2011
Our Take - 7.7

Not every band seems to have a concrete manifesto or statement of purpose for their music but The Drums accurately define everything they've recorded to this point with this quote,

“We only write about two feelings: one is the first day of summer when you and all of your friends are standing on the edge of a cliff watching the sun set and being overcome with all of your hopes and dreams at once. The other is when you’re walking alone in the rain and realize you will be alone forever.” - The Drums

The band which is often known for more of the former, the surf-y, summery songs (Let's Go Surfing), with Portamento leans more towards the rainy, lonely type songs (death references in 11 of the 12 songs).  The record is darker, more personal, but really other than a tighter focus and more thematic approach, it is largely just a good follow-up record.   
Although the band sounds an awful lot like a lot of other bands, they haven't managed to draw any bad comparisons (The Smiths, The Strokes, The Cure, The Beach Boys, Joy Division). With Portamento, the band doesn't alter their formula too much-- it retains all the elements that made their debut exciting while displaying some growth and maturation. Plus, they've penned one of the best tracks of 2011 with their lead single, "Money".

Don't Miss - "Money", "Book of Revelation", "If He Likes It Let Him Do It.