New York folkie Phoebe Kreutz knows her limitations. It’s all too easy for those of a twee-pop and/or comedy song persuasion to get carried away with themselves and ruin the joke, but Phoebe is in control here. The eleven songs clock in at a succinct 31 minutes and are laced with plenty of wry and sardonic humour to keep you entertained for the duration. She sets the tone early on, as you’d expect, with a cute song about the summer declaring that “Every day is getting awesomer and awesomer”, and follows up with a wonderfully realised song about Elizabeth the First. While the Virgin Queen might be unlikely subject matter for a pop song, Kreutz pulls it off with aplomb, and displays an impressive knowledge of history into the bargain.
Bobbing along cheerily, the album continues in the same vein - Kreutz’s dreamy/cute vocals carry each song along on a sugar-filled river of melodies, with little xylophone islands and plenty of humour on the banks. ‘Disaster’ is perhaps the album’s best track and as she jauntily sings “You’ve got disaster written all over you, but I’ve never been much of a reader” you can’t help but chuckle, but there is plenty of sentiment alongside the humour too, both complimenting one another.
‘The Ballad of Throat Culture’ finds Kreutz getting carried away with a daydream of being in a rock band, and by the time she closes with the campfire-like ‘Lesbian Cowgirl’ and the delicate ‘Boo Frickin’ Hoo’, the smile is firmly etched on your face. It’s definitely not one for those who don’t like a hot cup of twee, but perfect for those who do.
//Gordon Matheson