If 2007's Light Works EP was Aloha showing restraint, Home Acres is their big rock record. Thunderous rhythms, bigger guitars, a more prominent role for the marimba - it's a tonal shift, but a welcome one.

The Aloha trademark - Cale Park's fidgety jazz drums and loping vibe lines, Tony Cavallario's gentle yelp and moony lyrics - simply work together better than before, giving the album enough momentum, or creepy tension, to plow through the spots where its predecessors got mired.

...in an indie scene replete with breezy, polished guitar-pop - a description that definitely fits Aloha's sixth album, Home Acres - the band's persistent embrace of experimentation sets it apart.

...Home Acres is the best stuff they've ever done.

...given the fact that none of Aloha's members even live in the same city (the album was written via a private band blog), Home Acres is surprisingly cohesive and, well, homey.

The best bits aspire to an Animal Collective-cum-R.E.M. dream-weave, well suited for watching sunlight roll across your bedroom wall.