ˈɔːl mjˈuːzɪk kɹˈɪɾɪk kˈeɪ. ɹˈɔs hˈɑːfmən θˈɔːt ˈoʊnli ɐ hˈændfəl ʌvðə tɹˈæks ɑːɹ kˈɑːmpɚɹəbəl tuː "ðə ɹᵻmˈɑːɹkəbli kənsˈɪstənt kwˈɔlᵻɾi" ʌvðə bˈændz deɪbjˈuː, lˈɛsɚ mˈæɾɚz tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹ, fˈɜːðɚɹ ᵻlˈæbɚɹˌeɪɾɪŋ: "ɪt mˈeɪ biː ðæt ðeɪ wɜː dʒˈʌst mˈoːɹ ˈɪntɹɛstᵻd ɪn ˈælbəmlˈɛŋθ ˈæmbiəns ðɐn stˈændɐlˈoʊn pˈɑːp ðɪs tˈaɪm ɚɹˈaʊnd—ɐ kˈʌpəl ʌv bɹˈiːf, spˈeɪsi ˌɪnstɹəmˈɛntəlz sˈiːm tə sədʒˈɛst æz mˈʌtʃ.
AllMusic critic K. Ross Hoffman thought only a handful of the tracks are comparable to "the remarkably consistent quality" of the band's debut, Lesser Matters (2004), further elaborating: "It may be that they were just more interested in album-length ambience than stand-alone pop this time around—a couple of brief, spacy instrumentals seem to suggest as much.