May: I Buy You A Sandwich? is the thirteenth album by Moes Haven and the fifth of twelve from the 365 Project. It was released on June 14, 2006, two weeks after the end of May, making it the third of six albums released after the end of its intended month. Among all 365 Project albums, this marks the largest gap between the end of the month and its intended album’s release date.
Matt Farley and Tom Scalzo were still dealing with creative exhaustion, but the lax production of April: What A Cruel Month! gave them a chance to rest and better prepare for their May album. Thus, May: I Buy You A Sandwich? has more completed works with higher-quality production, rather than jam sessions and raw recordings.
The album takes place in the Great Lakes and takes inspiration from a time when Farley and Scalzo were obsessed with crab catching. In the world of the album, crabs are illegal.
Despite the cleaner production and more focused songwriting, Farley still considers the album “cobbled together” in the Motern Media No-Jokes Album Guide. However, in the same review, he calls May: I Buy You A Sandwich? “a good album”.
A couple of fun facts about this album:
- It continues the Creepy Bobby lore, with the character singing “To Make You Feel Like A Woman”.
- “Before She Changed Her Mind” features the second time Farley curses on an album, once again using the word “hell” in a pejorative manner. (The first was on Down With Memories).
- The cover was the first designed by Scalzo, featuring a picture of him standing next to Santoro’s Sub Shop at 310 Main Street in Malden, Massachusetts. The restaurant, once a mainstay for locals who enjoyed their Italian and steak-and-cheese subs, has long since closed. However, it is now home to DP Saigon Subs, a Vietnamese sandwich spot, so the location still remains dedicated to selling delicious bread products filled with scrumptious meats and vegetables.
“Canadian Fisheries” and “Sandy’s Photo” are featured on the band’s 2007 compilation Victory is Ours! (For Now).
Farley discusses the album more in detail on Motern Media Infomercial Podcast episode #101, “May Turns Ten!”.
Track listing
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canadian Fisheries | 2:11 |
| 2 | Summer Skies | 2:09 |
| 3 | Before She Changed Her Mind | 3:55 |
| 4 | To Make You Feel Like A Woman | 1:04 |
| 5 | Sandy’s Photo | 1:59 |
| 6 | That’s When I Fell In Love | 1:19 |
| 7 | Beautiful Cars | 3:30 |
| 8 | So What If You Sing Off-Key? | 3:43 |
| 9 | Papal Infallibility | 2:23 |
| 10 | Two Failed Movie Pitches | 0:52 |
| 11 | Remembering Yesterday | 1:52 |
| 12 | Greta Garbo | 2:11 |
| 13 | I Buy You A Sandwich | 2:48 |