Personnel: Murray Lightburn (guitar, organ, Mellotron, omnichord, keyboards, synthesizer, midi, bass guitar, maracas); Robert Benvie (guitar, keyboards, tambourine, tom tom); Patrick Krief (guitar, keyboards); Adrian Popovich, Patrick Krief, Robert Bonnie (guitar); Marika Anthony Shaw, Jade McNelis (violin); William Lightburn (saxophone); Matt Watkins, Evan Cranley, Chris Seligman (brass); Natalia Yanchak (piano, Clavinet, synthesizer); Roberto Arquilla (bass guitar); Aaron Seligman, Brian Cockburn Smith, Jason Thomas (hand claps).

Additional personnel: Every Kid Choir.

Audio Mixers: Roberto Arquilla; Murray Lightburn.

Recording information: Breakglass; Mountain City; Studio Plateau.

With this album, Murray Lightburn continues to move away from the sparer Brit-pop that dominated his band's earliest work, emphasizing the grandeur and bombast that was always lurking in the background. On opener "Disclaimer," Lightburn calls out to "the Son of God," and from there he tackles capitalism ("Money Babies") and war ("Missiles"). The general feeling of unrest and upheaval is unsurprising considering that the actual recording of MISSLES was plagued by turmoil and a rejiggering of the lineup. In fact, Lightburn initially planned it as a solo record, and his emphatic, Morrissey-ish croon is still the main draw. MISSILES remains, indisputably, a Dears record, and its bigness of sound will especially please fans who were happy with where the band went on 2006's GANG OF LOSERS.