The clumsy but charming line drawings of oddly shaped animals that adorn the bright yellow cover of The Best Party Ever are a good indication of its contents. Song titles like “Be Gentle With Me,� “God Takes Care of the Little Things,� and “Fur Soft as Fur,� combined with an artillery of banjo, recorder, and guiro make a great case for the crowning of The Boy Least Likely To as the twee-est band alive. While some bands that trade in this niche rely too much on superficial cutesiness as support, this British duo manages to offer some substance underneath its cartoon surface. The brief “Warm Panda Cola,� with its harmonizing and glockenspiel, begins like a Pet Sounds b-side before ending with a Dylan-inspired harmonica breakdown. “I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes� is deceptive; it begins upbeat and jangly and remains so even when singer Jof wonders, “How did I get to be such a mess so soon in my life?�
(Date of release: April 4, 2006)
