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DIVISION DAY: Beartrap Island [Eenie Meenie]

In certain circles, it seems like Division Day should be touring for its sophomore album by now instead of celebrating its debut. Last year, the L.A.-via-Santa-Cruz quartet earned fistfuls of blogger love for Beartrap Island in its self-released incarnation. Mercy Records planned to reissue the LP this spring, but the upstart label went under. So Beartrap Island is only now officially available to the world. But has the world moved on? Hopefully not, because the album is a smooth safari through the highlights of post-millennial indie rock, mixing anthemic sing-alongs, pensive confessionals and electronics-damaged guitar pop. Frontman Rohner Segnitz alternates between a raspy whisper and an adolescent yelp that’ll please fans of Modest Mouse and the Shins, but Division Day shifts styles so nimbly that playing spot-the-influence grows pointless. You want Lindsey Buckingham-esque melodies? The banjo-accented “Hand To The Sound” is at your service. How about a meth-head barnburner? “Ricky” and its stuttering guitars qualifies. If you like your love songs served with a touch of creepiness, “Tigers” rides a rollicking piano line into a bizarre mantra of “I want your blood inside my head.” Expanded to 14 tracks, Beartrap Island struggles to maintain its momentum, but it’s ultimately gratifying that this album’s day has finally come. [www.eeniemeenie.com]

—Chris Barton