I did a bit of additional research to further inform my review and noticed that Dexys Midnight Runners are an English band. This came as a surprise to me as none of the lead singers vocals registered as that language in my head. His slurred and overly performative way of singing was a detractor from most of this album and often had me wondering if this man rode the shortbus or if the recording booth reeked of Pale Ale during those jam sessions. The brass on the other hand was a nice change of pace from what I am used to hearing and while a bit obnoxious at times was the highlight of the album (its introduction in the 4th track did jumpscare me though). I feel like the faster paced, more poppy tracks worked better for me than the slower and more sappy ones as they were carried by the energy of the instruments rather than being harbored down by the lead singers moody mimicry of his native tongue (his backup singers thankfully help him seem legible on some tracks). I feel as though track #3 (The teams that meet in Caffs) was my favorite track by proxy of it being a purely instrumental song. The rating ends up meeting itself somewhere in the middle due to the Yin/Yang that is the pleasant instrumentals versus a lead singer with a baffling way that he has chosen to sing There were moments where I was nervous this album was going to devolve completely into Ska music