Ludo

You’re Awful, I Love You

[3/5]

It’s a tale of two sounds, torn between stereotypic emo-ting (“Please” marks the millionth song to employ a burning heart metaphor) and punchy power pop deeply indebted to They Might Be Giants. For every punk-pop track like “Topeka,” with its killer opening line (“I found God in a catalytic converter”) and winning Promise Ring vibe, there’s a pair of lame, soft-soap ballads like “Mutiny Below” and “The Horror Of Our Love.” Infinitely more enjoyable are quirky, high-throttle numbers such as “Lake Pontchartrain,” which comes on like TMBG’s “Constantinople,” or the humorous, overweening gypsy waltz “Go-Getter Greg,” which bubbles like Fountains Of Wayne. Occasionally, Ludo blend the two, stirring a crooning break mentioning moonbeams into the quirky, punk shanty “Love Me Dead,” or spicing the loping lovelorn “Drunken Lament” with a smidgen of idiosyncrasy. The best moments would make a decent EP. (ISlAND) Chris Parker