I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura

Musical ADHD. Synopsis: track 6 "O Honey We're Ridiculous" is perhaps the best commentary about this band. This album is riddled with long lyrics, verging on rambling, that make for fun storytelling. There's no such thing as a chorus here; there's so much to sing about that repeating the lyrics would be a waste of time. Let's go!

Be prepared to clock in for 5-6 minutes of glorious, bouncy, playful 60sesque indie pop in each go. Count on many (if not most) of the tracks to completely change course in the span of a song at least once or twice. I'd stop short of calling the multiple sections "movements," but it's close. Someone must've called them out on this habit, because tracks 9 through 11 are labelled three part suite, although they're different enough that I wouldn't bother playing them back to back unless you're in need of a bathroom break (you'll clock in at ten minutes doing so.) I hate "imagine if.." writeups from promo companies but this one is just so spot on I can't help myself. Imagine if The New Pornographers (minus Neko Case) played as a backing band (except Dan Bejar, who would still sing) for Belle & Sebastian. Oh, and everyone forgot to take their ADD medication. Watch out for very slopping mastering - there's large chunks of silence at the end of most tracks, tricking you into thinking you have more time.

1. Cacophonous repetitive piano part, fem vox and falsettos, fake ending at -1:26, ends with a loud swell of all of the components.
_-2-_. Catchy pop-rock. Recalls Belle and S and yet also Queen/The Darkness vocals. Parts rocking, parts singalong/handclappable, parts freak out. So much fun! Another fake ending. Ends with driving, masterful repetitive rocker.
_3_. Playful storytelling. "They can suck it." "Bada bup" long rambling fun. Changes into a percussive, bouncy whistle and piano fest.
SHIT at +3:44/-1:54 as in "come on Craig let's start some shit up."
_4_. very Belle & Sebastian. Bouncy tune that wildly shifts between late 60s pop and a great attempt at giving the Glaswegians a run for their money. Song really ends at -0:09.
_-5-_. Intentional fake CD skipping noises and a "do over" beginning at +0:10. Lest it sounds like *you* fucked up, you might want to start at ~+0:13 with a sharp fadein. A softer (but yet not mellow) beginning to the tune compared to the first four, but like the others it builds. Cacophonous piano and drum section in the middle, which it descends out of with some spacey vocals. Abruptly jarred back to life at 3:16 for a triumphant finish. Done at -0:03.
6. Title of the track is perhaps a commentary about this band in general.
Playful and self-aware. Punctuated by very high "oh oh oh, oh-oh-oh ohs" and "ah ah ahs." Truly ridiculous and loving it. Done at -0:03
7. Soft start with english pomp, strings. Queen/ELO-style vocals. Intentionally lo-fi drums. Complete change at 1:00 returning to the sound(s) of the rest of the album. Frantic bouts of latin(?!) beats surge through at times. Starts fading out at 4:20/-0:58, plan on fading it out at 4:42/-0:36, otherwise it's useless, and completely silent -0:15 to the end.
8. Channeling the vocals of The Darkness - fast-speaking/staccato(SP) falsetto harmonies. Organ solo in the middle. -0:03 ending.
9 & 10: the two shortest tracks on the album.
Next three tracks are a suite. Each of these tracks manages to stay sonically focused to just one style per track, no distractions.
9: Donovan. Female(/high male?) vocals. Sonically simplest track on the album.
10: Clear male vocals, very slight rockabilly influence. Shortest track on disc.
11. Strings, flute, clarinet, tenor sax, and oboe. The initial arrangement recalls "River of Orchids" by XTC. Verging on a choral arrangement. -0:04 ending.
12. ace-tone organ and guitar, with very tight timing despite the soft-edged sound. They could stop on a dime if they needed to, they just choose to bounce on said dime instead. :) Ends at -0:03 again.

REC: _2_, _5_, 4, 3. FCCs: 3
RIYL: *Belle & Sebastian*, *Dan Bejar*/Destroyer, The New Pornographers, The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, Donovan, Queen, The Darkness.

4.5/5 stars.