After enjoying decent success off their 2008 album You’re Awful, I love you, Ludo has made its triumphant return with Prepare the Preparations.

The album follows form for Ludo, which means it follows no form whatsoever. Skeletons, cyborgs, robots, ghosts, and manta rays are just a few of the many subjects covered in the thirteen tracks.

The beautifully naive lyrics paint a wonderful picture of the mind of Andrew Volpe, the band’s lead singer. The fear of the dark, unrealistic image of what women like in a man, and futuristic battles all point to a youthful mind flowing freely onto the track.

My favorite track is Battle Cry, Volpe’s anthem for a young revolution. The chorus rings with electric guitar and a loud driving beat as a riveting choir sings, “We are young, but we will never die. We won’t give up, this is our battle cry!” 

Skeletons on Parade is the runner up for my favorite track. This eerie song tells the tale of the night all of the dead came down from their mountain top graves to walk the streets of the living. The style of the song is at first reminiscent of the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, but soon switches to a pirate chorus straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Even though I loved their first three albums, Prepare the Preparations is my favorite yet from Ludo.