Cold Still

Audio Mixer: Ethan Johns.Recording information: Dubway Studios, New York, NY; Fortress studios, London; Real World Studios, Box, England.The Boxer Rebellion's third album starts off on a decidedly moody note, even for them, thanks to the combination of slow, heavy drumming, some equally portentous piano, and Nathan Nicholson's opening line of "Maybe there's just no use." But "No Harm" is the kind of dark-shaded song that boils down to how well it works in execution, and the band's ear for the forlornly anthemic continues to serve them well, with the slow, distant swell of strings and Nicholson's overdubbed falsettos turning the song into a beautiful, steady burn. Moments of band interplay showcase their collective ear for the nervously romantic-sounding post-punk that's helped inspire the group's sound: there's the instrumental break on "Cause for Alarm" where Nicholson and Todd Howe's guitars have a quick interwoven tension, while "The Runner," perhaps the album's most full-on rocker,