Who's Feeling Young Now?

Their cover version of ‘Kid A’ makes it explicit, but the Punch Brothers’ indie-band influences are immediately obvious right from the starting track of the quintet's fourth album. The bluegrassy voice of Chris Thile, the band's lead vocalist and probably the best mandolin player ever, sounds a little rockier than usual. ‘Who's Feeling Young Now?’ and ‘Hundred Dollars’ even borrow some of the swagger of chart R&B, calling to mind such unexpected influences as Outkast and even Justin Timberlake. That's not to say the Punch Brothers have junked all vestiges of their bluegrass background: on the contrary, their backgrounds are audible in the DNA of every banjo-run, bass thump, violin riff and guitar strum they play, and every sweet harmony they sing.

However, while this is an interesting and impressive album, it's also a fatiguing one. The Punch Brothers have never worn their stupendous abilities lightly, which is a real asset at their jaw-dropping live gigs. But there's always something rather collegiate-sounding to their playing here: it's a little like sitting in on an instrumental masterclass at Berklee. They often come across as a fair bit squarer than their demonstrably eclectic influences. It's the tracks that are closer to bluegrassy roots music that work best, such as the Parisian café swing of ‘Patchwork Girlfriend’ or the Paul McCartney-esque head-nodder ‘Don't Get Married Without Me’. All that genre-busting and tricksy instrumental paradiddling might be hugely impressive, but at the end of the day, the Punch Brothers are at their most affecting when at their least adventurous.