Dent May: The Good Feeling Music Of…

By: Dennis Cook

The full title of this release offers some tantalizing hints at the contents long before you hear a plinkin’ note: The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele (released February 3 on Paw Tracks). As one might expect, it’s a bit silly in spots, a bit Squirrel Nutty in places, but Dent May didn’t get signed to Animal Collective‘s label because he’s cute. May writes with the brainy comic bent of Morrissey and Billy Bragg, often pairing his observations of college town boys, alcohol and girls in the town square with a Buddy Holly-like turn of musical phrase and vocal character. Catchy as the common cold and spiked like ’50s party punch, Good Feeling Music fully lives up to its name, as least on the surface. What makes this more than a trifle are the black humored observations hidden within these uke-driven ditties (and surprisingly this feels way less Don Ho than you might think). “You Can’t Force A Dance Party” hints at a few Violent Femmes records in May’s collection, and “Howard” and several other cuts show a nice They Might Be Giants influence. The proliferation of academia tinged themes makes this an odd rejoinder to last year’s Vampire Weekend debut (see JamBase review here), and there’s a dining hall packing double bill waiting to happen with this pair. Taken together, Good Feeling Music is a swell toe-tapping bummer crop.

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