The Bons Mots; Le Main Drag
No FCCs ("Dick" on 8?)

Solid pop album. Plenty of harmony in backing vocals. Lead vocals are sometimes eerily remeniscent of Elvis Costello, but also some Radiohead. Distinct sound at times as well.

Lyrics are solid overall: some good imagery, sometimes bordering on pretentious, but never quite there. Nothing too heavy - mostly "love" songs or mild social commentary.

Nothing fancy on the instrumentation. Some interesting keyboard work appears sporadically (8/12). Guitar is similar - good, straightforward riffs or chords throughout, a few moments of variation (10/11). Drums and bass are solid and each get their 15s of fame at some point (9/10).

*1 - (4:01): Guitar riff intro for 10s, then vocals. 30s before full band.
Upbeat drums and guitar. Contrasts with vocals, which approach melancholy of Radiohead, but not quite. Some backing vocals.

2 - (3:23): Less upbeat, but still drives. Starts with guitar riff, adds band piece by piece (including tambourine). Vocals at 20s. Backing harmonies throughout. Slight Elvis Costello sound to the vocals. 7s fade at end.

3 - (3:32): Fast, back to a more upbeat, but still a sad twinge. Full band intro. Vocals at 17. Vocals now approximating The Shins. Song overall has a Coldplay feel. 30s instrumental outro, short finish with 3s remaining.

4 - (3:53): Radiohead riff for first 17s. Back to Costello vocals. More drum work throughout. Tambourine again. Subtle keyboard additions. 7s slight fade on a low rumbling sound.

*5 - (2:30): Fast, upbeat song with simple guitar chords and drum work.
Upbeat vocals with harmonies throughout. Fades at 1:50, picks up with a 40s instrumental outro. Definitive ending 3s before track finishes. Good pop song.

6 - (2:53): Vocals 3s in. Features happy non-word singing after each verse.
Slowdown in the middle for a short vocal bridge. 7s held note w/ 3s fade at end.

*7 - (3:11): Vocals 2s in. Simple but effective riff throughout keeps song going. More non-word singing. 7s held note at end fades slightly into track
8 - sounds like

8 - (3:38): Fade-in from #7, gradually builds in volume over first 20s.
Vocals 35s in. "Dick" two minutes in. 35s solid instrumental at end. 20s 96 Tears" organ solo over drum with a 5s fade.

*9 - (3:36): Heavier drums, keyboard start. Vocals 10s in. More of a rock feel overall through guitar, drums and vocals at the beginning of the verses. Chorus and keyboard sections make it less so. Vocals done w/ 20s left. Some keyboard in the remainder. Starts to fade w/ 10s remaining; silence at 5.

*10 - (3:13): Vocals after 15s. Fast song, driving drums. Bass work in background. Slight return of The Shins feel at first, but more Costello vocals and distorted guitar draw the song away from that. Guitar licks thrown in but the last minute features the most guitar work on the album, nothing too fancy, but a refreshing sound. 8s fade at end.

11 - (4:15): Guitar intro with keyboard and a bass line, light drums - 40s slight crescendo until lyrics. More hints of The Shins, slips into a nice Donovan sound at the end of some lines. Plenty of keyboard and tambourine keep the song jingly Held note starting w/ 10s left fades to silence after 7s.

*12 - (3:58): Strummed guitar and light cymbal and bass keep song airy for the first 20s pre-vocals. Vocals feel slightly faint, but are solid, emotive - some of the best on the album. Nice piano solo in the middle.
Feels like it will be slow/restrained, but breaks through as vocals speed up along w/ piano. Drums, bass, guitar bring the song back. Finishes on vocals w/ 5s left.