After a four year hiatus, Pigeon John is back at it with Dragon Slayer, 11 tracks of lighthearted Southern California hip hop. Things get under way with “The Bomb,” your typical, uptempo Pigeon show-starter fare. It’s nothing earth-shattering content-wise, but the track is catchy, full of life and born to be performed live. “Davey Rockit” explores the romantic idealism of packing what you can fit into your car and starting a new life. It boasts the album’s finest verse and excels as a case study in overcoming one’s circumstances. The album-closing “Ben Vereen” is a comedic breakup tune set to a funky, meandering beat. Only Pigeon John could make lines like “Girl I hate you so much / I wish you were never born” sound fun.

The electro-pop-tinged production on the new record comes courtesy of Herve Salters and Pigeon John himself. Dragon Slayer marks the first album where Pigeon recorded and chopped his own instrumentation and results in a considerably different sound from 2006’s And The Summertime Pool Party. It’s a smooth, mellow ride apart from the welcome fuel injection of “The Bomb” and “Hey You.” While the album captures Pigeon’s witty, ironic take on Americana, lines like “We at the Motel 6 / Watching some Conan eating Chick-o-Sticks” grow tiresome upon repeat listens. Humorous corporate name-dropping aside, Pigeon has never lacked in the lyrical department. Unfortunately there are moments on Dragon Slayer where it feels like he’s dumbing down his content to maintain the good times vibe of the album. Either that or he truly finds peace from life’s simple pleasures.

A familiar complaint from Pigeon John Sings The Blues resurfaces on Dragon Slayer. While Pigeon is an adequate singer whose chops often hold their own (e.g. “Rock Bottom Again”), the pace of the record leaves the listener craving more of the exhilarating flows that make his live shows so brilliant. Tracks like “So Gangster” simply lack that familiar PJ vitality.

One mark of a true artist is thematic continuity across albums. It takes a unique vision to carry out and develop concepts over the course of a career. Pigeon does this excellently with the be-yourself-anthem “Excuse Me,” which feels like a sequel to “B” from Pigeon John Is Clueless. And “Before We’re Gone,” a crisp, acoustic guitar-driven jam, serves as chapter two of the “Nothing Without You” saga. The endless positivity of Pigeon John’s output is admirable and aids to the overall quality of Dragon Slayer, even if it’s sonically a notch or two below his previous work.

Song you will remember in five years: “Excuse Me”

Line you will remember in five years: “Come on everybody won’t you clap your hands / White folks do it on time if you can” (from “The Bomb”)

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