Blues du Jour

The first album they recorded specifically for The Pastels’ Geographic imprint, Blues du Jour is a perfect example of what makes Maher Shalal Hash Baz so alluring – particularly if you’ve not got the time to dive into their triple-album classic, Return Visit To Rock Mass. Here, Tori Kudo’s vision is supported by a number of Maher regulars, with a few friends from Glasgow joining in; the expanded group does an excellent job of coaxing great beauty from Kudo’s fragile, naïve melodies, while respecting their curious development, the way they seem to spill out of Kudo’s mouth like his first thoughts for the day. There are forty-one songs here, and the album see-saws between lovely instrumental miniatures that slip by in seconds, and deeply felt pop songs, like “What’s Your Business Here Elijah?” and “Open Field,” with all the profundity of the songs of Kudo’s heroes, Peter Perrett and Mayo Thompson.