The M's

Real Close Ones is as jam-packed with horns, synths, percussion and other unidentified sonic goop as its predecessor, Future Women. But this time around all that clutter has been tidied up and organized, placing the spotlight squarely on the band's matured songcraft. Real Close Ones unfolds like a jukebox, rotating contributions from the group's four songwriters, each with the pop skills to keep up with Sloan or Teenage Fanclub.