On El Subliminoso, Mike Gurley, Joie Calio, and Phil Leavitt continue to craft songs that are intelligent, challenging, and chock-full of killer hooks. A father and son bond while dropping acid on the endearing "A Trip with My Dad." Calio's droning, industrial-sounding bass haunts "The Spirit of 2009" -- a lyrical postscript to Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit." On "I "Get High" Gurley's guitar playing spirals into Townshend-esque windmills; "Bob the Drummer," with its smooth-funk groove and lilting falsetto touches, wouldn't seem out of place on a Phish disc. Dada's propensity for turning commonplace events into cinematic-sized moments separates them from today's pack of "scrunge rockers." They're in a class by themselves.

-- David Gérard