Pigeon d'argile

The title of Kevin Parent's 1995 debut translates as Clay Pigeon, and his worn-down characters—"You're the sort of pals one buys at Kmart," goes the snarky French chorus to "Boomerang"—seem caught in the crosshairs of life. Equally uncomfortable in city or suburb, the bilingual Québécois songwriter explores the extremes of parenthood ("Mother of Our Child" and "Father on the Go") and delivers backyard Zen ("Two Minutes"), often to the strains of a moaning Dobro.