Well, better late than never.
The Texas Jerusalem Crossroads is one of the most ambitious debut records I've come across. A biblical epic, layered with irony and self reverence.
The music is an engaging blend of post rock and folk, most of the arrangements are great - some feel a little flat but I get the feeling that it's a deliberate move to tie in with the deadpan humour of record.
A lot of the humour is created in the chasm between the album's sprawling melodrama and Pearson's dry delivery and manufactured ego.
"When the Lord said, 'Son, tell the world before it explodes the glory of the Texas Jerusalem Crossroads.' I said, 'Lord I'll make you a deal. I will if you give me a smash hit so I can build a city on a hill."
The interchange from, 'Waiting to Hit' is funny and encapsulates the theme of the album perfectly. But, the lengthy spoken word sections don't all come off so well, and there were quite a few times I was wishing he would get back to singing.
I think the album's biggest flaw is it's sprawl, I consistently struggle to listen to it all the way through and when an album is so strongly based around a concept, that isn't what should be happening.
But, the individual elements are all good and when you string them together you get something even better. It's a shame that God didn't come through on his promise for a smash hit, because I would have loved to see what Lift to Experience would have created next.