Witty and succinct third from optimistic miserabilist.
This album has an energy and excitement that is infectious and beguiling as Brady takes us into his literate, witty and acerbic world with delightful sonic vignettes. Opening with ‘Field Notes From A College Town’ the scene is set with Brady’s spoken/sung “ Why you gotta be so serious kid? / You are where you are and you live where you live”. The title track provides a punchy Hold Steady vibe with acid lyrics and spiky guitars a lo-fi vibe that is revisited later in ‘Deanna Deanna’ with its grungy vibe.
There are echoes of They Might Be Giants in some of the songs short sweetness, each one feeling like completed glimpses into a state of mind or scene from a well-versed script and the longest track coming in at 3.41 mins this is not an album to test the patience and nothing is extraneous in the production. There are hints of the much-missed David Berman in ‘Shiny Town’ with the musical bedding highlighting the lyricism and cynicism particularly with the tack piano middle eight breakdown. As the album continues there is also a sense of Fountains of Wayne in the compact way the songs are delivered.
Much to enjoy and the album continues to deliver on repeated listens. Recommended.
