12 Desperate Straight Lines

Telekinesis | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: February 15, 2011
• Label: Merge Records
• Copyright: 2011 Merge Records
• Total Length: 32:31
• Genres:
  • Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi
  • Rock
• ASIN: B004LY4TKS
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,146 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sophomore Album-- Power Pop at it's best March 13, 2011

By ALS

Format:Audio CD

The second album "12 Desperate Lines" by the one-man-band (Michael Benjamin Lerner)Telekinesis is a great follow-up to the debut, if somewhat different in emotion and subject matter. The first album was poppy, fun, and upbeat. The songs, although criticized for not being extremely original, were simply,very catchy power pop, and although stylistically similar, the songs on the second disc have a darker edge. Evidently the artist had some hard times, involving a car accident, hearing problems and a breakup of a long distance relationship (that inspired the 1st album). Although I would never be one to wish bad things to happen to anyone, sometimes dramatic/traumatic events can lead to cathartic, very exciting and emotional artistic output. The result is punchier, more raw, and genuinely heartfelt.
The next thing you notice about this record is the fine Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie) production. It has dynamics,(something rare in our overly-compressed mp3 world) and a great dirty, heavy tone, particularly, the bass, which rumbles and bubbles and fuzzes throughout,(inspired by the band Flin Flon) almost overshadowing the guitar. Other little subtleties such as; acoustic guitar, keyboards and samples pop up delightfully as well.
This album is great Power Pop, with a little Post-Punk, New Wave feel, too. It has really catchy hooks and shows emotional growth in its songwriting. I hope he gets the recognition he deserves. 5 stars!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Talented, Catchy Songwriting April 13, 2011

By Ihvahn

Format:MP3 Music

In contrast to the album's lyrical content, the music is fun, catchy, and, somehow, inspired by both old and modern styles of music. It's hard to describe, just listen to "Please Ask for Help". Sounds like a mix between The Cure and The Shins, doesn't it? That's probably the only song I can describe with such accuracy, but the rest of the album has a similar vibe, albeit with varying degrees of 90s and 80s influence. Ultimately, I think Michael Lerner just takes what he thinks sounds best from those time periods to inspire a fresh sound that became "12 Desperate Straight Lines".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid! February 15, 2011

By Mavhunter

Format:MP3 Music

Michael Benjamin Lerner's second album is just as solid as his debut. Things are slightly different, but there isn't a bad song in the bunch. It still, however, won't do anything more than entertain you as solid, solid indie pop, which is never a bad thing; the biggest changes come in the subtle incorporation of different genres, like the country rock riff on the last track. That said, 12DSL is one that won't gain Lerner any acclaim he hasn't already won, but will greatly please anyone he won over with his first album and anyone who stumbles onto this one.