The Delgados refered to 2004's Universal Audio as their "long-awaited 'pop' album," and while the description is apt, it's their penchant for atmospheric, industrial town melancholia that ultimately won out. In stark contrast to 2002's bombastic Dave Fridmann-produced release. It embodies the group's transition from brooding orchestral pop experimentalists into hook-driven purveyors of sunny road-trip rock. What's interesting about Universal Audio, is the simple omission of previously favoured 'excessive reverb' that gives these tracks their pop sheen.