PAGE FRANCE Issue #32

... and the Family Telephone

By Catherine Rigod
Published: April 1st, 2007 | 12:00am

... and the Family Telephone is not for the power-hungry or testosterone-pounding. On their third LP, Page France has managed to cull everything sweet and sensitive to make a pop record mixing the charming melodies and subtle undertones from lead singer Michael Nau to cure the daily grind of subway rides and utility bills.

Opener “The Ruby Ring Man” begins with an effervescent ride among glockenspiels and tambourines. Nau sings, “In the red-eyes dawning dew where you always
sit and wait,” which rings both clever and true. “Pigeons” offers jangly guitars, while “Wet Dog Afternoon” adds a back drop of horns and percussion worthy of a small marching band.

Though bubbly it may be, after listening to the record for a while, I found it best to toss it into a mix — unless, of course, you’re in the mood for a slew of super-sweet songs.