Bullets in the Penguin is the third release from this Canadian trio. Of course, I don't know why anyone would want to put bullets in a penguin, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.I'll tell you one thing for sure: if I didn't know any better, I would swear these guys are from central Ohio. If they were from central Ohio, they would probably have ended up on Lizard Family Music. "Rita Venture" reminds me of a band called Preston Furman from Columbus. For those of you not from central Ohio who don't know Preston Furman, I'll give you a better comparison. Take the minimalism of Low and melodies similar to Death Cab for Cutie and what you've got is Mon Electric Bijou.
On their website, Leopold Goodman claims that the music of Mon Electric Bijou is "obviously influenced by Flying Burrito Brothers." "El Shoeless Messiah" is the best example of how their music is influenced by Flying Burrito Brothers. You can also hear some tones of Grandaddy, but without the blips. One other note apropos of nothing: I have to give credit to Mon Electric Bijou for creating the fuzziest bass line I've ever heard in "The Large Glass."
For my taste, the songs on this album meld together just a tad too much. Aside from the country sound of "El Shoeless Messiah" and the flamenco-like guitar of "Quicksand," it's not easy to tell one song from another. But they are well-crafted songs. Mon Electric Bijou shows that you can create a solid song without doing anything flashy. These are simple songs: just guitar, bass, drums and some synthesizers. If you like mellow melodic emo (for lack of a better term) music in the vein of Death Cab for Cutie, this is an album you'll enjoy.
