Turin Brakes have had a bit of a tough time getting noticed as of late. Ever since their stellar debut The Optimist LP garnered them a coveted Mercury Music Prize nomination and helped usher in the New Acoustic Movement, their profile has continually diminished as they've struggled to settle on a contemporary sound while seemingly trying not to replicate the beautifully uncomplicated acoustic spirit of their first record. It's subsequently made for a rather uneven batch of releases, with core members Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian adding and subtracting instruments and influences in search of an elusive style that fluctuated between overly simple, stark arrangements and rather convoluted, darker tones. With Outbursts, their first new record in three years, Turin Brakes have scaled things back considerably, with Knights and Paridjanian handling nearly all of the musical responsibilities on the album themselves, including the understated production. And while there are indeed glimpses throughout the album of the artistry that initially caught our attention in the first place, Outbursts is plagued by rather innocuous songs that are pleasant enough but never really materialize into anything lasting or significant.Lead single 'The Sea Change' starts the record off fairly well, with a bit of a Simon & Garfunkel-with-strings sound layered amidst the intricate strum of the dueling acoustic guitars. The bongos that erupt towards the end are a bit much, but don't really spoil the positive nature of the tune. But the real weakness of the album (and the bands recent output as well) reveals itself on 'Mirror,' with elementary rhyme schemes and somewhat head-scratching similes threaded throughout the songs: "When the rain comes down on us, it makes us smell like fresh magazines." Does it really? With arrangements that are intentionally sparse and basic, the lyrics inevitably become the focus, and that's where the album and the band go off the rails a bit. On 'Rocket Song' Knights vocals grow in intensity as his lyrics get worse, impudently alluding to making the most of our time before skyscrapers inevitably crumble down around us, and equating love with a 'rocket bound for the stars.' It's just bad poetry set to rather mundane, slow-building orchestration, and Knights undisguised earnestness doesn't really help matters either, as he's trying desperately to get you to believe in his overly-simple ideas about love.'Paper Heart' continues this worrisome trend, with Knights revelation that "I live by the sea-not the one you're thinking, the one inside of me." It's just incomprehensible pseudo-intellectual gibberish, especially when paired with a song as boring and flimsy as 'Paper Heart.' The sea makes an appearance in quite a few of the songs here, which often lead to the duo meditating on the passing of time and the destructive propensity of nature. While the subject matter presents the band with some grand themes for inspiration, the songs themselves just don't reach those lofty heights. They drift by rather harmlessly, with nothing really distinctive standing out amidst the tracks to distinguish one from the other. But the second half of the album truly drags, with forgettable songs like 'Embryos' and 'The Letting Down' lacking any energy or ingenuity. Ultimately, while there isn't anything truly dreadful on the album, there isn't anything all that memorable here either, and conceivably the worst thing you can say about art is that it's forgettable. Unfortunately, in the case of Outbursts, that proves to be precisely the case.