After a five-year hiatus during which they had their first child, Harriet Wheeler and David Gavurin have returned with the third Sundays album. "Static and Silence" is a celebratory effort with tight, folky pop tunes given wings by Wheeler's santiny voice and Gavurin's versatile guitars. "Summertime" has already become a radio staple, but the rambling "Homeward" and the Brit-rock nostalgia of "Another Flavour" attest to the Sundays' many facets. Occasional symphonic sweeps heighten the record, but the band's at its best in bare ballads like "Monochrome," where Wheeler's lyrics and delivery are pure poetry.

-- Beth Winegarner

This article was originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle.