"You never look back", Andrew Kenny sings on "Born On The Cusp". This is AmAnSet's first record since 2003's Promise Of Love, and although they've gone through some changes since then (with members dispersing to Chicago, New York, and Austin), the distance hasn't altered their sound. The vibraphone, low-key guitars, and subdued, almost whispered vocals are intact. As Set Free demonstrates, the band has grown musically while retaining the core identity their fans love -- wry, smart lyrics and mellow rhythms.

Kenny is a unique storyteller, and he uses subtle charm to paint his visions in song. On "She's Half", he crams a lengthy character sketch into a few lines: "Her mom's from Indiana / she married an Asian man / and they brought her from Japan / to be happily suburban / I met her one summer when I was just visiting." Similarly, in "First Of Four": "Something in the arm of your record player / is giving me the chills / what you giving him away for... the first to fake is last in line." It isn't all serious, though. Trendier/indier listeners will undoubtedly latch onto the tongue-in-cheek "Cool Kids Keep" ("The boys are in a band together / the girls all flock and stand together / the cool kids keep together... the cool kids'll live forever").

The tag-team of "Immaculate Heart I" and "Immaculate Heart II" does little to tone down the band's everpresent Sonic Youth fetish (not a bad thing by any means), but the instrumental "(Theme From) Everything Ends" is a significant departure from the standard Analog Set sound; it's a mellow, surprisingly languid bass and keyboard-heavy song. "Sharp Briar", one of Set Free's highlights, is a bit more uptempo, but still very much in keeping with the album's overall moodiness.

The band recorded Set Free at five separate home studios in a little over a year's time. One one hand, that's a fairly relaxed recording schedule, and that time was undoubtedly well spent. It remains to be seen whether this is the record for which American Analog Set's fans have been waiting a decade, but Set Free is definitely one of the most consistent, mature albums they've made to date.