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Well, they win. If all they want is fun music to move around to, their second full-length, Pieces of the People We Love, accomplishes just that. It is quite a departure from their gloomy, Cure-like debut EP. They focus instead on furthering the dance-punk image they brought to the surface on the catchy Echoes.

But where Echoes oscillated between the high-energy and the artsy, Pieces of the People We Love sticks primarily to the former.

Gone are the dark melodies of the original “Olio,” and in its place is a set of tunes to make fans of the band’s signature “House of Jealous Lovers” flail around wildly like only uncoordinated indie kids know how.

It may not be perfect, but Pieces of the People We Love is more than enough fun to keep fans satisfied for the time being. Make sure to catch such tracks as the first single, “Get Myself Into It,” and the awkwardly titled “Whoo! Alright-Yeah Uh Huh” for some fun dance punk tunes that The Rapture has become known for, or wait around until the end of the album for some of the less dance-happy efforts.

And by all means, get up, move around, have some fun. The Rapture wouldn’t have it any other way.

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After months of delays, heaps of critical praise, and one kick-ass album title, TV on the Radio is finally back with their follow up to their breakthrough success Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes. And if you are a fan of the band, critics would like you to know that you are in for the music experience of 2006.

But if you are not a fan of obscure, aimless tracks that point toward something great but do not offer the sort of cohesion and quality that make an album, TV on the Radio may not be for you. Their previous releases showed some signs of the potential for greatness, but the wandering tracks and eccentric vocals kept many a listener from fully embracing.

If you were one of these people, expect a little more cohesion here, but also a lot more of the same. The tracks on Return to Cookie Mountain are at the same time engrossing and boring. They capture the mind and ear while making the listener wondering where exactly they are headed, and how long will it take for them to get there. The album tries to reach a certain level of greatness, but it drags on at too many of the wrong moments.

The entire album is not a loss though. The opening track, “I Was A Lover,” shows of the band’s range and creativity in a fun way. A definite standout is the first single, “Wolf Like Me,” a song that captures the energy that the band has hinted at many times before. That song alone might justify the album if it weren’t available for free online.

Instead, TV on the Radio leaves the listener searching for more. There is so much hinted at here, but not enough present to justify the hype. Fans will stay fans, but everyone else will be left with far too many tracks that drag on well longer than necessary.