Pas/Cal reviewed
Pas/Cal
I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura
(Le Grand Magistery)
After years of teasing indie pop enthusiasts with lip-smacking EPs, Pas/Cal manage a full-length that survives as a 12-track spread.
Other than the surprise that this Detroit collective didn’t quit upon The New Pornographers’ rise — Casimer Pascal’s vocals are a dead ringer for Carl Newman’s — there’s little on I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura that will shock fans of their flirtatious early work: It meets if not exceeds expectations. Production-wise, Pas/Cal adhere to Brian Wilson’s more professional worshippers, maintaining little of the wispy, backyard magic of Elephant 6 bands. They clearly have epic desires, stretching their multi-part pop suites into five- and six-minute territory (though also shit three-minute gold nuggets like “Little Red Radio” just to prove they can). “You Were Too Old From Me,” dedicated to Casimer Sr., rather cheekily comes from the angle of a long-lost acquaintance: “I could have called you if I wanted/I knew the number to your room.” Well, what the fuck?
8
— Steve Forstneger
Click here to download “Little Red Radio.”
