The former Judybats drummer had plenty to work with.  We already knew that vocalist Jeff Heiskell (also late of the 'Bats) is a facile, versatile crooner, and his performance on Fleur doesn't disappoint.  He duels and harmonizes with himself on the strident "Dig It!," prowls cat-like through the sultry verse of "I Blew It," and chirps through "Feed the Creature" in a dead-on falsetto.

But the real surprise here is Paul Noe, who pulls double duty on bass and guitar.  Noe was an unknown quantity in the Judybats, having taken over four-string duties late in that band's four-album career.  As a Doubter, he shines, matching Heiskell's chameleonic virtuosity power chord to vocal cord, note for tremoloed note.  Noe picks brittle arpeggios, splatters gutsy blues, and weaves textural swirls reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine with unerring deftness and unwavering conviction.  And the symphonic volume swells and lush guitarchestrations on "Finally," the power ballad that closes the album, imbue the song with a certain crashing Big Rock majesty.

So the disc sounds great, but do the songs hold up?  The answer, for the most part, is yes.  But don't expect Fleur De Lisa to reach out and rumple your lapels on the first play.  This is one of those albums that leeches onto the aural receptors only after repeated listenings.  But give it a few spins and see if you don't find yourself bobbing your head to "I Guess," a soaring paean to love and ambivalence, or grinding away to "I Blew It," a lewd affair with an irresistibly slinky riff and a smirking, lascivious groove.  Kudos.