CD Review

Joe Pernice sure has a way with melodies, although there's not much of a fat chance that the mainstream will catch hold of them. Not that Pernice really cares, because owning his own label with enough creative control to make his following swoon is fair game enough.

Since his days with the alt-country flavored Scud Mountain Boys, Pernice has gone from No-Depression act to 60's/70's era pop singer/songwriter. With Discover A Lovelier You, the fifth album under the Pernice Brothers title, Pernice further cements his progression.

This new 13 song effort is clearly reminiscent of early-80’s New Wave, rich with shiny songs composed for piano and strings in pure chamber rock mode. The album brims with the 60’s Beatlesque charm of White Pepper Ween ("Saddest Quo" and "Sell Your Hair") with the alt-pop punch of Ken Stringfellow scattered throughout. The Jeff Lynne tinged "Dumb it Dumb," followed by the instrumental title song "Discover a Lovelier You," proves The Pernice Brothers can make flexible arrangements that fans of The Shins to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers can easily digest.

The lyrics are full of Pernice’s foreshadowing of life’s uncertainties and insecurities, making way for the steady bass and drums to complement the dark undertones. Despite the gloomy messages, the album’s crisp production and clever melodies makes Discover a Lovelier You one of the feel good albums of the year.