Pas/Cal, I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura (Le Grand Magistery, 2008)

Listen: “You Were Too Old For Me”

Five fucking years. That’s how long we’ve had to wait for an official full-length album from Detroit’s foppishly fantastic Pas/Cal. And if you’re addicted to the same kind of romantic, literate pop that these guys produce, a five year wait for their magnum opus seems more like five hundred.

So finally, this summer will see the release of the ambitious, fanciful, and all together rewarding I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura; an album that has been through the ringer a few times before deemed fit for consumption. Formally known as Citizen’s Army Uniform (which appears here as its own track), main songwriter Casimer Pascal’s focus shifted during the writing process, and he struggled, demoing and rewriting along the way. Progress was made in fits and spurts. At one point it was considered done, and release dates were announced, then pushed back; track lists were leaked, then changed. The band stopped playing live (save for the occasional holiday performance; fitting for a band whose “Little Red Radio” — also included on this set — starts off with “My God it’s nearly Christmas!”), as Pascal split time between songwriting and child-rearing (he’s a father of two, and both of his children appear on the cover of I Was Raised).

These were all good things, however, as Pascal may have finally found inspiration through the eyes of his young children, and started peering back into his own past. In truth, much of I Was Raised has an overwhelming nostalgic feel, where the strange, ridiculous world of The Royal Tenenbaums meets the pastoral pictures elegantly painted in the best Belle and Sebastian and Kinks songs. “The Truth Behind All the Vogues She Sold” speaks of stolen youth; “We Made Our Way, We Amtrakked” references old Bowie tapes; “Dearest Bernard Living” nods to the English dialect of an old college professor. Elsewhere, the multiple-part gem “You Were Too Old For Me” pays respects to a passed on elder, sung from the perspective of a confused, yet trusting son. Even the album title references Pascal’s Roman Catholic upbringing and popular characters from the dramatic soap opera “General Hospital.” But the real treat is that Pascal has finally bit the bullet and positioned himself as I Was Raised’s main protagonist, constantly name checking himself (as Cas or Craig, for the most part) amidst a flurry of high-brow melodies, odd happenings, fistfights, little red radios, and an elusive beauty named Cherry (the 3-song “Cherry Suite” is an album highlight). The payoff is that all of these whip-smart lyrics, stories, and personal accounts are held up by a crack band of skilled players, whose buzzing organs, 60s mod-guitars, climbing strings, dynamic drumming, and perfectly plonky basslines bring that nostalgic feeling full circle. Each track sounds vaguely familiar, yet each twist and turn reveals another moment of genius not heard the first time around. Five fucking years? It was well worth the wait. — Ryan Allen