I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura (CD - 2008)

Recording information: Ferndale, MI; Mansion Studios, Royal Oak; Summit Street Satellite, Brooklyn, NY.

The cover art would have you believe that Detroit's Pas/Cal is some kind of 1960s, post-PET SOUNDS throwback outfit. And while it's possible to hear strains of the Left Banke and Van Dyke Parks, I WAS RAISED ON MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE & LAURA bears a striking sonic resemblance to the more contemporary Belle & Sebastian and, in particular, fellow Michigander Sufjan Stevens, whose falsetto and meticulous attention to instrumental detail are closely replicated here. But whereas Stevens' stock-in-trade is pathos, Pas/Cal singer/arranger Casimer Pascal is most successful when he keeps the subject matter as light as the music, as on the ambitious near perfect A.M. pop of "Little Red Radio" and "You Were Told For Me."

Arriving two years after a string of promising EPs, the full-length debut from Detroit's Pas/Cal expands on those early works to deliver a highly satisfying opus of panoramic Indie pop. The magic of I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura is only fully revealed after repeat listens, however, since it takes time to get acclimated to their intensely intricate, ever-fluctuating songs. In many ways, the music eschews traditional song structure, constantly shifting in tempo, rhythm, melody, dynamics, and just about every other salient element. That's not to say the music isn't catchy or carefully arranged, but that these elements are sometimes only subtly apparent amidst the constant state of reinvention. In fact, bandleader/producer/arranger Casimer Pascal displays a remarkable attention to detail and craft throughout; it's no wonder that the album was so long in the making. Sequencing is a key element here, for better or worse, since the album leads off with two of its headiest tracks. Upon first listen this can be a bit daunting; "The Truth Behind All the Vogues She Sold" risks sounding a bit meandering and overly precious before the excellent "You Were Told for Me" arrives to establish a more well-defined context, which blossoms magnificently in all that follows. Keep in mind, this is the sort of music which will engage and reward the attentive listener, but is bound to utterly fail as background music. Despite the wide array of instruments employed on every track, the songs rarely feel full or cluttered, but rather are dreamy and lightly frivolous in the best possible way, an aesthetic used to maximum effect on album standouts "We Made Our Way, We Amtrakked," and "Little Red Radio." Lyrically, each song brims with a dense, spiraling narrative reminiscent of Destroyer's fractured poeticism, while the nearly ever-present soaring vocal harmonies add additional color to the beautiful melodies. Situated towards the end, the three-song "Suite Cherry" builds into a striking finale, the relatively straight-forward but no less captivating "Citizen's Army Uniform." All in all, a very impressive and innovative debut. ~ Ben Peterson minimize