"My heart is anew," sings Forest Fire's Mark Thresher on Staring at the X, and so is the band's sound. Opening track "Born Into" shows just how much they've changed since the ramshackle yet heartfelt Americana of their first album, Survival: it's smoky and sleek, driven by a Velvet Underground-inspired chug that sounds much more like their Brooklyn home base than anything they've done before. The changes don't stop there: "Future Shadows"' bright pop and "The News"' strutting rock -- which continues 2011's reign as Year of the Saxophone with a squealing solo -- are all a part of Forest Fire's breakneck (re)invention. It feels like they've channeled the looseness of their playing on Survival into a willingness to try anything once, and fortunately, most of their experiments stick. Indeed, one of Staring at the X's best moments is also the most radically different: "They Pray Execution Style" features bassist Natalie Stormann on vocals as the song morphs from slinky disco-punk into keyboard noodling. When Forest Fire return to more familiar territory on the title track and "Mtns Are Mtns," they sound far more polished, and perhaps a bit less distinctive, than they used to. The album's second half consists largely of back-to-back slow songs that drag a bit, suggesting that they need to work on varying their pacing as much as their sound. Nevertheless, Staring at the X shows just how much Forest Fire can do, and do well; where they go next is anyone's guess. ~ Heather Phares
