Avant Garde Is The French Word For Shit (2005, originally released on Earsugar. Sold out)

Mark Barton of Losingtoday wrote:

Here you’ll find a bulging bag of gems with treats for all the family - disconcerting sleepy pop (‘do you want one of these?’), chattering celestial abstract folk pop (as though Animal Collective where on a sabbatical with Sunburned Hand of the Man – ‘Like a Rolling Drone’), psychotropic pop hypnosis (the Sonic Boom homage of the mesmeric mantra ‘Bulgarian Death Drone’ or the gem like lysergic S3 psyche blues on the closing ‘This year round there ain’t gonna be no summer’). From the minute the free wheeling abstract off kilter Fall-esque opener ‘Theme from Captain Carrot’ and the curious off balance lazy eyed freak beating wash of ‘Hey Mr Rambler’ veer into view you are immediately put on alert that a strange brew is at work, the haphazard pop matrix is bludgeoned by a wilful sense of black humour that brings with it a decidedly crooked foot print to the proceedings and yet for all that when they do settle down drunken nuggets like ‘Sunday groovy Sunday’ (or the Beefheart meets Zappa meets Zorn curiosity ‘Da Blues’) warm the listening space with an unusual candour that’s both alluring and likewise puzzling. Hand up the back pistol to the head I‘d have to opt for ‘Out comes the sunshine’ as the albums most indicative moment a sly slice of idly ambling pop that mid way through is ripped apart sonic autopsy style leaving both your hi-fi and head shredded from the experience.