I think it's goofy to suggest that BA have "reverted" to a more "indie style" by broadening their palette on the EPs and moving away from the obvious indie influences of Charm School (Modest Mouse, Pixies, etc.) and including obvious homages to less trendy but more substantive artists (Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Cure, etc.) Also, they may have sacrificed some of the catchiness of the simpler early songs like "Things Are What You Make of Them" on the EPs, but the improvement in quality of the lyrics more than makes up for it for me. The interesting themes and structures of new songs like "The Monitor" and "Flight 180" show a maturity and thoughtfulness that I am happily surprised to find on a "throwaway" EP project.

For me, the big difference came in putting the first four EPs on a single disc, sequencing the tracks to work as an album (maybe we should start a thread for EP mixes if others have done this). I was surprised how some of the songs I'd considered to be filler ("Suddenly", "The Rabbit") worked really well in an album-length dynamic. My January-April mix easily stands up to Charm School or what I've heard from Clementines. Bishop Allen is getting better all the time - maybe they're just maturing and improving at a rate that some of us can't keep up with.