Trail of Dead Pull Out the Stops on New Disc

"A lot of the record is like that -- the music sounds upbeat, but the subject matter is really heavy," says Keely.

No kidding. On the standout track "Wasted State of Mind," Keely sings that he's "caught in a stasis" again. The melody, though, starkly contrasts this idea -- layering a manic, glorious mess of Polynesian drums (again, sampled) and a plunking piano that sounds as though it's feverishly trying to play catch up. "Naked Sun," the first song Keely wrote when he moved to Austin, is inspired by indie rock icons Beat Happening, and features a barroom blues groove so rollicking, it sounds like a prelude to a sawed-off pool cue in the face. And then there's the effervescent indie pop of Trail's first cover song, Guided By Voices' "The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory." Originally a brittle four-track beauty, Trail of Dead's version is stacked with dense harmonies, brushed cymbals and massive piano melody. "It was almost like listening to a demo of an amazing song and thinking, 'This is awesome; I want to hear it with pianos and strings,'" explains Keely of tackling the GBV classic. "I thought, 'Fuck, I want to make this super grand.'"

Not every song on So Divided leaps from the speakers. "Witches Web" is a restrained country ballad featuring the expressive violin work of Grammy-winner Hilary Hahn and backup vocals by Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls. (She also plays piano on the Beach Boys-style pastiche "Eight Days in Hell"). "Life," a song partially based on a close relative's relapse and recovery from alcoholism, is even darker, submerging piano and strings beneath a sea of distorted drums and squealing guitars. And the closing track, "Sunken Dreams," is mix of spoken word and multi-hued singing that Reece intended as a nod to the Cure.

Keely says he's working on getting together a fall tour with the Blood Brothers, and that it will be as unscripted as ever. ("Maybe we'll get a fourth drummer this time.") When asked about the band's reputation for raucous live shows -- broken bottles, trashed guitars and bloody faces -- Keely demures. "I started to get annoyed when it felt like a routine. I'm not angry in the same way I was when I was young. That'd be the kiss of death. It's like what Quincy Jones always said, 'You don't write for money. You write music that makes you shiver.'" Indeed.