Pfilbryte's lyrics run the gamut from touching to the absurdist, with stops at just about every station in between. The title track is a prime example of the latter. Set to a funky soundtrack (think "Was Not Was" from the late 80s), the album opener has the protagonist diving into his Fruit Loops and meeting a "bullfrog with 40 billion eyes," before getting rescued by the "funky germicide." Basically, it's an ode to preservative, from ascorbic acid to Yellow No. 6. Skip along the tracks, and you'll come across Beatle-esque harmonies ("And Nothin' "), rap album like pointless interludes (something about needing someone to "set a pick at the free throw line of life"), and a track whose title tells you all you need to know about what it sounds like, "Suburbancooltriphopmixofpop." And, after all that, you're only four track into a 20-cut album.

That said, it's still possible to hype up the artist, and go on to say that there are plenty of things to cheer among the pieces on "Preservative Affirmative." For one thing, the guy has a healthy appreciation for the tales of his youth  nursery rhymes. There's one song entitled, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" which floats along on a progressive vibe before breaking out in another suitably psychedelic Beatle-esque chorus. Another song, "Old King Cole," teaches us why he was such a merry old soul, featuring verses that sound like the Primus song, "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver.". The best of the kiddie lit songs is "The Happy Cat," a re-telling of the Alice in Wonderland story from the Cheshire Cat's point of view, which includes thoughts like "The Silly Twins run around/Singing songs/Telling Tales, that's what it's all about."

As is probably fitting for a collection like this, the best songs on "Preservative Affirmative" come from wildly differing directions. On "I Like Beer," Pfilbryte whips out the frat boy persona with an anthemic chant along ode to, well, beer. The cheerleader-chorus brought in to chant, "Go Pfilbryte, it's your birthday!" is a nice touch. So is the song, "Bicycle," a great example of the kind of low-key pop genius that Beck and Mark Elliott (The Eels) possess. A sample of an accordion serenade that precedes the track is subtly woven into the background of the song, a flute solo floats over the second verse, and the outro is a layered jumble of all the vocal tracks that came earlier in the song, and it all works out perfectly.

The single best track, however, is "Believe in Me." Opening with a low-key hip hop groove underlying a heartfelt self-examination (brought on by a phone call from Jesus), it evolves into a progressive, aural feast. The long, exquisitely textured guitar solo evokes thoughts of David Gilmour ("Pink Floyd") and is worth a few repeated listens, especially through a pair of headphones.

Like I said earlier, there's plenty to like on this disc, but when the style keep shifting from song to song to the degree that Pfilbryte mixes things up on, "Preservatives Affirmative," it's hard to really get into the album as a whole. It's better, and far more easily, digested in pieces.