Pernice Brothers

We were going to try really hard to review this Pernice Brothers album without comparing Colin Blunstone's golden voice to that of Joe Pernice, but we so failed! If you fell in love with the Zombies' Odessey and Oracle, a similarly buttery, breathy, baroque pop masterpiece awaits you on this near-perfect album.

On his band's fifth and prettiest album, Joe Pernice of the Pernice Brothers mixes up
country pop and twee Sixties-schooled rock (such as the gorgeous Zombies update
"Pisshole in the Snow") with the nonchalance of a veteran tunesmith who has learned to
turn bad breakups into golden-hued abstractions. If the songs go down too easy, that's part
of the deal -- monster hooks or guitar freakouts would only upset the balance Pe... More >

"Trying to be a better person," swears Joe Pernice. But though he provides examples, the title on that one is the all too typical "Saddest Quo." So in the end, he proves his good intentions the only way he knows how. Guitars chime, harmonies glide, hooks and choruses stroll by as easily as extras in an impressionist painting--all in the service of such topics as abject poverty, killing someone in a car accident, and our old friend the loss of love. On the loveliest album of Pernice's pretty career, the most eloquent song of all is the wordless title tune. (Grade - A-)