We Are Going to Bremen to be Musicians

Geoff Berner is an accordionist, singer and songwriter. This album quickly establishes that he's Jewish and Canadian – both subjects crop up regularly in his songs – and a satirist. Also that he's not much of a singer. Not that he needs to be – he approaches most songs with a raucous punk attitude. In song after song, Berner lashes out at the Mayor of Vancouver's desire to fill the city with condos for the rich, chastises conservative Christian groups who now embrace Jews, when not too long ago they were labelling them as Christ killers, and entertainingly admits his ambivalence to Hanukkah. And then he sings the brilliantly titled ‘I Don’t Feel So Mad at God When I See You in Your Summer Dress’.

The music is largely secondary to the words and this is a little unfortunate as the title-track and ‘Slouching Towards Bremen’ suggest Berner and pals are capable of conjuring up an atmospheric East European ambience. Berner is smart and sharp but, like a Tom Lehrer album, the songs here would work far better in a cabaret where the audience are laughing – and singing – along.