The nine songs that make up Somewhere Under Wonderland find the band sounding relaxed, optimistic, and even somewhat giddy at times. The band doesnt stick with one mood for too long over the course of the album, offering rootsiness on Scarecrow, acoustic meandering and folksy harmonies on God of Ocean Tides, and an upbeat country-rock ramble on Cover Up the Sun. All these stylistic detours fall under a very wide umbrella that makes Somewhere Under Wonderland distinctively Counting Crows. Duritz’s raspy voice and lucid, lyrical stories always hold just a hint of desperation, and even decades into a staggered career, these new tunes cant help but feel like part of a larger narrative that began during the bands ’90s glory days but finds further, greater refinement here.