One can't help but imagine this was the mood of Foreign Born's mid-summer retreat to Sunset Lodge Studios, where bass parts were laid down in the wee hours of morning and the hot tub bubbled late into the night. The result of the session is an album of dense pop that justifies the band's place among top songsmithing contemporaries like Cass McCombs and James Mercer, as well as greats like (dare I say it) David Bowie (There, I said it). But the band is able to bypass the 'songwriter' label by delivering a much more collective sound -- you know, like a BAND. African high-life guitars are countered with New Wave wash; the sound of a band daring to keep its pallet open to most any influence -- from U2 to The Feelies. If the Walkmen weren't afraid to go out in Bermuda shorts and flip-flops, you may have a sound close to this... like it could be Phil Spector's mid-70's 'lost recordings' inspired by the depth of second-line drum bands from New Orleans.