The ' bears an immediate and striking resemblance to the early , from the scrappy, stripped down arrangements to 's vocals of uncertain pitch and lyrics that occasionally skirt into levels of TMI that verge on uncomfortable. (The title track, in which steals his ex's coffeemaker, includes a line in which he casually asks if her new boyfriend has given her cystitis.) Cranky late-era Brit-poppers , whose leader uses the as his backing band at his solo gigs and arranged the horn section on is another point of comparison, as is Scandinavian oddball , whose quirky, conversational style of storytelling recalls on loopy tracks like and the ukulele-powered There are moments of melancholy, including the unexpectedly sad country-tinged ballad and a wistful duet with Paris-based anti-folk singer , but the overall mood is wryly sardonic. The are perhaps not quite good enough to shake off the ghosts of their obvious influences, but is a quirky and quite often appealing listen. ~ Stewart Mason