I checked my sarcasm storage meter the other day, and was quite alarmed to see that it had dropped into the red zone. Had I lost my intrinsic ability to mouth off? Maybe I needed a refill from an outside source? Ah, that was it...and like an evolutionary miracle, the new Solipsistics CD appeared before me, two smiling apes on the cover. After a few runs through Jesus of the Apes, everything is back to normal. Thank Jesus...er, Jeffrey Owen McGregor.

Continuing his trend for carefully crafted pop ditties that infuse piano and a distinctive quietude that's pleasant, yet noticeably edgy, Mr. McGregor (the driving force behind The Solipsistics) once again invokes his unique form of spiritual manipulation. There's still a genuine pop core at the heart of each Solipsistics song. It's sensible, it's rational and it's inarguably capable of filling your head with tuneful entertainment by itself. Like Of Montreal or the Television Personalities, The Solipsistics also invoke a bit of charming oddity and unpredictable cynicism, pushing the band out of the radio-friendly, ready-for-prime-time realm and into an underground music fan's dreamland. The incessant high-pitched goading on "(They Tease Me Because) The Like Me" harkens back to your worst elementary school recess nightmare. McGregor switches gears and takes some amusing jabs at Corporate America on "Employee of the Year", with snide references to primo parking spaces and the bleakness of following a career path. Reminiscent of an extremely vulnerable Elliot Smith, McGregor's trembling voice ushers forth feelings of sympathy and distressing frailty on "Monolog". It's like a musical revelation of evolutionary proportions, McGregor beautifully articulating the peculiarities of modern day life with creative ferocity.

From album to album, McGregor has proven that he not only has the keen ability to write some truly inspiring, thoughtful numbers, but that he also possesses the unusually rare talent to create tune after tune of clever wit and catchy beats, which will stay with you long after the CD has left your stereo. McGregor feeds your mind with everything from sentimental introspection to smatterings of sarcastic soliloquies, while he entertains your senses with sly vocal ruminations and simplistic-yet-stunning music.