The Vanishing Spies take a long time making albums. Sure, we are not talking My Bloody Valentine long. I mean, come on: 22 years between albums? Nor are they as slow as The Wrens, who are at 11 years and counting since their last release. But the Spies are not very fast. In fact, they have slipped into an almost cicada-like pattern of emerging every five years with a new batch of indie rock gems: 2001's"Mystifying Alibis" led to 2006's"The Long Emergency," which, in turn, was followed by 2011’s"Dazzled by the Grace." So imagine our surprise when, after only three years, The Spies emerged from their two-person exuvia to deliver their latest opus, 2014’s"The Map is Not the Territory." The good news is that shaving two years off of their usual cycle of writing, recording and releasing did not diminish the quality of the final product. The Map is Not the Territory is a collection of 12 carefully crafted, fist-in-the-air anthems that both perfect and further develop the sound that the band has been honing over the last decade and a half. Musically, the band continues to hold as sacred the last 50 years of thinking-persons’ rock music. One can certainly sense the infectious melodicism of The Beatles, the angular rhythms of Television, the crisp jangle of R.E.M., the relentless punch of The Pixies, the skewered pop of Guided By Voices, and the confident richness of The National in their sound. However, band member Sean McNamee's musicianship and production transforms those touchstones into something that is distinct to The Vanishing Spies. From the propulsive power pop of “Comic Relief” to the ominous drone of “Disaster Days” to the epic blast of the title track, McNamee pushes the Spies' sound into new areas without losing sight of the band’s mission of crafting crazily catchy hooks.Also helping in the catchy department are the melodies and lyrics of bandmate Eric Zuccola. The new album sees Zuccola pulling together the threads of the various approaches he has used over the last three Spies releases into a unified whole. Album closer “Darling, Do Not Be Afraid” is a character portrait that would have been at home on the last Spies album,"Dazzled by the Grace." (Arguably, it may also be one of the best songs the Spies have ever assembled.) Meanwhile, “We’re Already Missed” unfolds like a short story, fully in the vein of the tracks on the Spies’ concept album,"The Long Emergency." Finally, the extended metaphors of first single “Science Fiction Eyes” and follow-up single “Guards Disguised as Guides” would have no trouble hanging out with their musical cousins on"Mystifying Alibies," the Spies’ debut disc. No matter what the lyrical approach, Zuccola’s central mission is that you are always singing along. Loudly."The Map is Not the Territory" contains 12 great reasons why we should all be happy that The Vanishing Spies are two years ahead of schedule. Heck, if they keep up this new trend of cutting their turnaround time by a third with each subsequent album, it should only take them a decade or so to reach the release pace of Robert Pollard. If nothing else, we can at least rest assured that the Spies will get a few more albums out before we hear anything new from My Bloody Valentine or The Wrens. Hopefully, those future Spies releases will be as great as the current one.