Listening to the Heartless Bastards’ newest, The Restless Ones (Partisan Records), is a frustrating experience. You get to hear a ton of talent and even more chops put to work in service of middling ambitions. Erika Wennerstrom and her crew are absolutely masterful at seamlessly combining their influences, plucking gestures from scores of popular 20th century rock bands, and pumping out a record that sounds just short of uninspired.

The album starts off with its heaviest, bluesiest tracks, but neither “Wind Up Bird” nor “Gates of Dawn” are likely to entice new fans to stick around. If you’re sick of The Black Keys, you’re not likely to last more than a minute or two. The band does best when relying on its pop instincts instead of trying so hard to nail the big grooves. “Hi-Line,” for example, is designed for sing-alongs. It’s a really simple song, but charming in a way their “rockers” are not. Similarly, “Pocket Full of Thirst,” a great showcase for Wennerstrom’s unique voice, is little more than melody and drums. “Into the Light” is another song more pop than rock, and I really enjoy the contrast between the tinny drum machine and the crunchy guitar hooks. Unfortunately, these songs are the exceptions that prove the rule.

Wennerstrom’s voice is as soulful as they come, like the bastard child of Patti Smith and Neko Case. The band plays the hell out of every note, and the production is alternately crisp and thick. By all accounts, this is a fantastic live band. But on this record, they never quite manage to raise a ruckus. I long for an unrestrained, spontaneous moment, something unpredictable, or just one sign that they occasionally surprised themselves in the studio. If not that kind of release, then some subtlety please. But everything sounds beige and brown, and few songs distinguish themselves from the rest. It’s impossible to escape the feeling that you’ve seen this movie before, and without even paying attention, you can absolutely predict the ending.