There are lots of things to recommend about Pink Dogs on the Green Grass from Paul Jacobs. This new one from the Montreal artist is skewed DIY pop with a distinct flavor about it. Lots of what's here reminds me of that second wave of Britpop artists, where risks where taken and the melodies sitll stayed beholden to the Beatles.
"Day to Day" and "Most Delicious Drink" recall things from East River Pipe, Elliott Smith, and Ben Folds, but with the instrumentation less conventional. "Cherry" and "Everything's Fine" take that template and expand upon it, with the resulting cuts being a little bit like early material from Grandaddy. Elsewhere, "Glory Days Yesterday" and "Your Last Words" are more propulsive and energetic. I almost wish more of Pink Dogs on the Green Grass was like these two selections, particularly as parts of the album feel like noodling in search of a hook. Still, the truth is that if this record was 10 minutes shorter, I'd likely be raving about it instead of simply recommending portions of it.
Pink Dogs on the Green Grass is out now via Blow The Fuse Records.
More details on Paul Jacobs via the Facebook page.
[Photo: Force Field PR]