It has many of the elements that made the last record, We Brave Bee Stings and All, so enjoyable. Singer-songwriter Thao Nguyen is again displaying her abundant prowess combining vivid, deliciously cynical lyrics with bouncy, feelgood melodies. The instrumentation is also in fine form; rhythmic guitars and keys fill up the sound and add just enough texture to be interesting without being intrusive. And everybody loves the occasional smattering of handclaps and “hey hey” refrains.

Know Better Learn Faster also features a more mature side of the band, with tracks like The Give giving the record a touch of sobriety and allowing musicianship to rise above melodies every now and again.

The title track posted here, which Kill Rock Stars has put out on buyolympia.com, isn’t the best of the record in my mind. That dubious honor goes to the more energetic and infectious tracks such as Cool Yourself, When we Swam and Body. But I’m not posting those out of respect for copyrights and what not. (See that record companies? We’re nice! Send us stuff!)