Certainly song titles like Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs' "Delphinium's Lament" and "December as It Descends" reveal, for better or worse, exactly where the band is coming from in gory detail. But in terms of lumpy, raw-but-not-contrived-to-be-raw song structures that emerge as catchy tunes, it's a safe bet you'll find yourself singing along regardless of your allegiance to the Nation of Omaha. Acoustic guitars establish a groove, and vocalist Joey (that's right, just Joey) won't crack your nerves with the cracks in his voice, instead maintaining a pretty steady grip on melody, again apparently in spite of himself.
It's puzzling that the Blue Moon bandmates also willingly offer themselves up as Miami sectarians of Oberst's worldwide cult, as they inject healthy doses of Robert Smith and Latin-inflected acoustic punk for a colorful, enjoyable, and rather original blend. — Saby Reyes-Kulkarni
