Falling Off the Sky is the first dB's album to feature Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Gene Holder, and Will Rigby in one place since the early-'80s days of Stands for deciBels and Repercussion. The North Carolina–to–NYC band was a key influence on the emerging alt-rock scene (Holsapple eventually played with R.E.M.), and the two songwriters, Holsapple and Stamey, teamed up for two solid albums. Here, the group's longtime associates Scott Litt and Mitch Easter join the production team. But the years have made The dB's different people and, therefore, a different band. Drummer Will Rigby receives his first songwriting credit on a dB's album with the power-pop number "Write Back." Stamey still writes dreamy ballads. "Far Away and Long Ago," with cello, is one for the ages. "Send Me Something Real" balances his interests in '60s psychedelia and '70s new wave. Holsapple's "She Won't Drive in the Rain Anymore" features a writer capable of engrossing narratives within the context of a five-minute pop song.