Simply put, the Trash Can Sinatras never let their fans down. Starting with 1990’s Cake they’ve released a string of excellent albums featuring their smartly structured, literary-minded songs played with a nimble touch, arranged like a souffle, and sung with the perfect blend of wit and soul by Francis Reader. As the years rolled by the pace slowed more than some might like, to the point where the appearance of 2026’s Ever the Optimist came as something of a brilliant surprise to those wondering where the band had been since the release of 2016’s Wild Pendulum. As one might hope, the record is made up of songs that touch on adult situations with the group’s usual deftness, sometimes coming across almost bitterly melancholic, other times warmly…