A person could fill pages and pages trying to precisely pin down the sound and meaning of English duo the Boy Least Likely To's deceptively titled debut, The Best Party Ever. On it, the band makes liberal use of instruments widely employed by other indie-folk acts, such as harmonicas, brass and banjos, but the resulting sound is wholly unlike that of any of their contemporaries, and might be best described by one of the album's in-joke lyrical references to a country-disco band.""
Likewise, while their lyrics deal with oft-explored topics like childhood, aging and compromise, they handle these themes with a subtlety, deftness and understatement that give the lie to their too-cute band name and album art.
But while this description might give the impression that the Boy Least Likely To is overly cerebral or artsy, their songs are, above all else, catchy and immediately affecting - so much so that their debut was almost certain to cast a long shadow over anything that would follow it.
On their long-awaited sophomore album, The Law of the Playground, the duo seems untroubled by the thought of any such comparison. Staying about 80 percent true to the sound of their first record, The Law of the Playground is the sort of follow-up that sands down any rough edges and competently reworks the raw material of its predecessor.
The album's first several tracks come off as slightly tighter and more upbeat versions of songs that could otherwise have fit in perfectly on The Best Party Ever, the most noteworthy being ""A Balloon on a Broken String,"" whose fuzzy synthesizer riffs and handclap breaks have the makings of a college radio hit.
The album's real highlight, however, is ""The Boy with Two Hearts,"" which feels like the kind of song the Boy Least Likely To were made to write. A simple trumpet melody and plodding low brass part begin the track with a sweet, melancholy vibe that recalls the excellent ""Battle of the Boy Least Likely To"" from the group's debut. Singer Jof Owen's lyrics are at their expressive prime here, and the song might be the very best in the band's catalog.
The Law of the Playground's second peak, the pre-release single ""Every Goliath Has Its David,"" plays to the duo's up-tempo strengths. It's a sign of the group's talent that they can pull off a couplet like ""And I know Kung Fu / and I'm not afraid of you,"" without sounding grating or scoffing at their overmatched protagonist. But it surely helps that the song's shakily martial drums and staccato guitar give the perfect impression of their hero's valiant (though probably doomed) stand.
When a group's sophomore album follows closely in the footsteps of their debut, there's usually a sense of disappointment in the feeling of familiarity. For a band with as few close peers as the Boy Least Likely To, however, even a reworking can sound fresh and unique, and The Law of the Playground makes just enough tweaks in the right places to live up admirably to the promise of its predecessor.
