Skittish may have one of music's most apt band names.

The songs on "Tragedy of the Commons" skip, sprint and scatter at a moment's notice. The record has two spoken-word interludes, a couple of acoustic ballads, a track that sounds like The Killers' Brandon Flowers fronting The Strokes and a foot-tapper called "Carousel" that sounds like tapdancing. Amazingly, these tracks work well together.

"Carousel" is "Tragedy's" best track; its cracking snare drum and familiar pop chord progression sound like nothing but fun, despite lyrics that allude to loneliness and frustration. The song is also Skittish at its most controlled and focused, which is a good thing. The eclecticism elsewhere can be exhausting at times, like the listener is being pushed on a train with no known destination.

Of course, in optimistic circles, this is known as an "adventure" and Skittish certainly is adventurous. Their songs – written by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Noller – are often impeccably arranged and have lovely touches, such as the piano flourishes on the waltz "The Phantom's Toast" and the spirited handclaps on "Carousel."

Skittish is basically Noller's project, with friends Chris Lahn, Robyn Kuechle and Venetia Kurdle ably helping out. It's hard to believe a record this varied could essentially come from one person, but then, so did two seriously wacked-out Neutral Milk Hotel records. "Tragedy of the Commons" is no "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," but there's still time.

www.iamskittish.com