A common thread in record reviews is how an artist is staying the same, not trying anything sonically different. Most of the time, this is less bad than boring. There's plenty of times where you hear exactly the same sound out of the same artist and it makes you shrug and go back to the album it sounded like.

But there's also those times when it's a comfort and a thrill that a band has stuck with a sound you loved so much, like how, every now and then, there's a movie whose pat happy ending you're glad to see, just because it feels right.

Phoenix, "1901" (2009)

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Phoenix's third album It's Never Been Like That was one of the best full albums of 2006, one of those albums that never got old. From the sounds of this first single from their upcoming new album, they haven't taken a single new step in a new direction and that...is perfectly okay with me. As long as they keep turning out tracks that have this level of energy and hooks, they're welcome to keep jogging in place.

Camera Obscura, "My Maudlin Career" (2009)

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Not staying quite as static as Phoenix, Camera Obscura seems to have found reverb and atmospherics. But Tracyanne Campbell still has her go-to melodies that vary very little from the past tracks. And that...is perfectly okay with me. Camera Obscura has that magical ability to constantly turn in irresistible moments. Even when you can pick at it, you can't deny it, and the fact that they've barely strayed from their past makes me that much more excited for the new record.