Pigeons give off a ramshackle performance. This is good when it works, but at times it feels like it might have been better to cut the song short. Around 30 minutes long, it still tends to drag a bit. Despite this tendency to meander there’s enough to keep you happy.
Easily the best at displaying their warped form of song craft is “Wrong Man”. The pieces fall into place for this one, the horns, the guitars, and the disinterested vocals. You get the feeling that they are in a unique place with this sort of style, of disorientation.
“Missing You” is probably my other favorite on here. Starting out with some distorted horns, it hits all the necessary sweet spots. That little keyboard puts an early Sesame Street vibe on to the whole proceedings. And the acoustic guitar just cements this happy time.
For these songs, there are a few moments that could’ve been edited a bit. “Lacs” comes in mind. Although the flute sounds quite wonderful, it really taxes one’s patience. Perhaps they were reaching for a raga of sort, but failed. Some of the other songs suffer from different problems, like being too unconcerned with maintaining the listener’s interest.
Olde English Spelling Bee signed this Bronx-based group. Hopefully in future excursions, they are better able to temper their lackadaisical tendencies.