The Pilgrims

S.P.A.M.

Somewhere in the desolate wilderness between Frank Zappa and Weird Al Yankovic, Ben Morss and his Pilgrims have rounded their wagons and staked their claim. Sounding like a pack of Vegas session musicians who accidentally stumbled into an all-ages rock club after choking down one too many bowls of Lucky Charms, the Pilgrims pack this six-song disc with ultra-silly pop and enough naughty-bits jokes to satisfy your inner child—if that inner child is a snot-nosed sixth-grader with ADD. For good measure, the Pilgrims have even thrown in a rap (!) about Jar Jar Binks (!!!); all that’s lacking now are slide whistles and bonk-on-the-head sound effects or maybe a couple of Joey Buttafuoco jokes. If you know Ben Morss’ shtick, you already know if you’re going to like this. For the uninitiated, if 20 minutes of kooky word play set to innocuous oogie-boogie music sounds fun, give Plymouth Rock a spin.

Flydaddy RecordsContinuing to move away from the lush orchestral maneuvers that defined his work in the Moles and Cardinal, Richard Davies now concentrates on classic pop structure and a sweetly forthright vocal delivery. Telegraph is soft and intimate: a gentle record centered on modest themes (the circus, the closing of a Disneyland attraction) that manages to transcend its humble intentions and flourish with a halcyon beauty. The album’s first cut, “Cantina,” sets a lively pace with a Brit-pop flair; “Confederate Cheerio Call” charms with meditative instrumentation; and the serene “Eye Camera” soothes with a lightweight pop sheen. It’s Telegraph’s final track, “Days to Remember,” however, that invites repeated listening of this disc. Crisp, spartan chords build to a tender crescendo, offsetting Davies’ bittersweet longing for a perfect night and leaving a sudden hush after the album’s end.