In Brief:

** 1/2 CATERWAUL, “Portent Hue,” I.R.S . Some will be thrilled that Betsy Martin’s singing doesn’t personify the Phoenix to L.A. quartet’s name as much as before, but the maturing of her voice, along with the band’s gauzy sound coincides with a loss of the audacious innocence that marked its prior work. But there’s nothing that a little more variety in writing can’t make up for next time.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five stars (a classic).