Catscan!: Kart Sticker

As of this writing, Washington D.C.-based goof-pop duo Catscan! have at least 11 releases up-for-grabs on their Bandcamp site. Kart Sticker is the lone wolf, available exclusively at the group’s live shows. Kart Sticker is a bright little album, featuring ten originals by Mason Shelby and Paul Tsiaperas that breeze by you in under 32 minutes. Here you will find them cohabitating with dinosaurs, struggling to go outside and play, attempting to fish, and melodramatically waltzing under a rainbow in singing voices that sound like a cross between John Flansburgh and “Weird Al” Yankovic. The faux-dance number “Polished to Perfection” is a not only a highpoint but also a combination of words that Catscan! fortunately don’t take too seriously. “They say practice makes perfect / But I wonder, is it worth it?” they ponder on the upbeat opener “I Want to Play”. They shouldn’t have to worry about practicing too hard because in an era where there is way too much punk D.I.Y., Catscan! are proof that creativity still counts for something.