This came out in 2005 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen. But Baltimore’s Cass McCombs stands out from the earnest guitar-guy pack for one simple reason: He’s one twisted dude.
Not that you’d notice if you weren’t paying attention — the jangly fare on his debut full-length PREfection is fairly standard, slightly trippy indie-guitar pop with Kinksian overtones and Lennonesque vocals. But focus in on those lyrics and see what’s going through McCombs’ fertile mind: Enigmatic, darkly humourous tales of morbidity and mortality that are distinctly at odds with his music’s sunny disposition. The best: Bury Mary, a jaunty little ditty about cleaning up after a murder. “Ping-ping goes the shovel / Pang-pang goes the pail,” he says. “And the furnace will be burning / When she gets some mail!” Turn an ear to McCombs — but don’t turn your back on him.
https://youtu.be/-_v07xojmAg?si=G45HzpXEi2tQMqGA
