If, like many philosophers and writers have mused, the joy of life is derived in its surprises and unexpected turns, even the unpleasant ones, being a clairvoyant, one who sees visions of the future, must be a pretty rough life. Anticipation, suspense, surprises, be it opening presents on Christmas day or the thrill of finding an unexpected romance, would be lost to the graces of a supernatural cognizance.

Clairvoyants’ Your New Boundaries doesn’t lay out the difficulties of an oracle’s life, though its tone is certainly one that hints at the sorrow that’s certainly to come along with the demise of the "future’s an empty page" outlook on life, with songs that mix low-key melodies in a swirling fog of melancholy that’s anything but over-the-top. Clairvoyants don’t mince around with overblown sentimentality or blatant tear-jerking; Your New Boundaries rallies mature guitar pop for a good honest cry. Let the kiddies with their Dashboard Confessional worry about making a bad impression on the cutie in fourth period; Clairvoyants know that a bit of good bone-rattling melancholy beats the skin-deep hysterics of melodrama any day.

While the band’s haunting sound will appeal to fans of everyone from Wheat to Mojave 3 to Arab Strap, it’s clear the band isn’t going to be content to compile a best-of style from the leaders in mope-core. There’ll always be similarities between such blue songsters, especially ones who come from the same era, but Clairvoyants aren’t going to be mistaken for their contemporaries, that’s for sure. Songs move by at a pace that’s somewhere between those of a snail and a glacier, though use their languid tempos to build layered and somber songs, from the mix of ethereal keyboards and comfortably numb guitar work ("For Granted") to tracks that are hollow guitar and voice melodies ("Yes, I Waited a Year").

There’s no put-on emotions, no ratcheting up the drama or hyperactive sensitivity on Your New Boundaries. Sure, that makes getting into some of its songs a bigger job, but it ultimately preserves the band’s prize jewel: its honesty. This album isn’t a ready-made tale of teen drama or twentysomething angst; it’s a long, cold look at less-formulaic glimpses of real life.