Bicycle Eaters Pedal Forth, Peddling Petals

Jeffrey Bützer’s Bicycle Eaters, a seven-piece (and two-wheeled?) vehicle for the multi-instrumentalist’s eclectic pop songwriting, play the rare show (apparently their last, for the foreseeable future) on Sept. 28 at Kavarna. The release party for new album Petals of Youth doubles as a homecoming for singer Cassi Costoulas, who now hangs her hat in Tennessee.

From soundtrack-quality instrumentals (“Decoy Museum”) to the piano-driven equivalent of classic French pop (“My Last Sigh”), sometimes sung in what I reckon is French (“The Dark,” “Katherine”), the new album offers music that’s quaint yet complex.

Whether he’s making toy piano music or paying tribute to Tom Waits or PJ Harvey, Bützer delivers the goods musically. Whatever the niche idea, he seems to always put together a stacked supporting cast and garner interest in live shows. On these songs, he plays piano, accordion, and toy piano while collaborating with Costoulas, Kristin Haverty (cello), Chad Shivers (guitar), Eric Balint (percussion), Professor Sean Zearfoss (drums), and Matt Steadman (bass).