The Dears made quite a bit of ruckus with their 2003 album, No Cities Left, but this 2006 release didn’t make too many waves with the mainstream media. Which is interesting, because I think it’s actually quite a bit better. It’s definitely a Dears record, they’re sticking with their tried and true sound, but the lyrics are a little more ambitious. The songs are influenced by many different styles; rock ballads, pop hits, sweet confections, and loud “alternative” songs, if that word hasn’t lost all meaning by now. Comparisons to early Blur are apt but there’s more to the record than that. The album is more than the sum of its songs; not a musically cohesive whole but more like a journey through the songs. Gang of Losers is the strongest Dears album to date, and rewards repeated listening.
Standout Tracks: Ticket to Immortality; Death or Life We Want You; Whites Only Party

Read my review here:
The Dears: Gang of Losers