Customer Reviews

Live a Little

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What is it about that combination of paranoiac, eternally crestfallen, heartsick lyrics over bright, blindingly sunny 70's AM Gold melodic pop? How can music be so anchored in both neverending disappointment and desperate hope-against-hope? I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb by declaring that few do it better than the Pernice Brothers. The songs of Joe Pernice are at once gorgeous exercises of the pop melodies that made those of Zombies, Bread, and Jimmy Webb so timeless, and the lyrical kick that could only come in a post-Morrissey kind of world. This latest album is a return to the chamber-pop sound of the band's debut, "Overcome By Happiness," after the faux-80's dance-nouveau tendencies of the last 2 records. Songs like "Somerville," which is the best song Teenage Fanclub never wrote, "PCH One," a tribute of sorts to that singular relationship of Ponch & Jon of C.H.I.P.S. (for those of you old enough to know of whence I speak), and "Cruelty to Animals" are among their finest, and will nest in your brain like tumors. Plus, the added bonus of a remake of the Scud Mountain Boys classic-that-never-was "Grudge F***." What can I say? Another winner.

The songs on the new Pernice Brothers get better with each listen. They are nothing short of stunning - complex and elegant, yet simple. By far, their best CD to date - each song distinct and very well crafted. Ranging from hard driving (BS Johnson, Microscopic View) to more melodic (PCH One) I can't get the CD out of my car or the songs out of my head - yet each listen opens up new elements in the lyrics and the instrumentation. Joe's vocal are fantastic, Peyton's guitar work is awesome. Get this CD now - and go see them on tour if they stop in your town(they are fantastic live)!!!

If you're a fan of the Pernice Brothers' earlier work, stop reading this and go purchase the album right now. At first listen, I wasn't very impressed, but each song grew on me considerably with repeated listens, as I had experienced with their previous albums, and I'm tempted to call this my favorite yet. Live a Little evokes the vibe of Overcome By Happiness, with lilting melodies and clever, incisive lyrics that cut straight to the heart and mind. Joe Pernice has never been better in terms of songwriting or with the emotional impact of his distinctly breathy yet clear voice. Song arrangements have become more complex and adds to the trademark sublime quality of the Pernice Brothers' work. All the songs are excellent, but particular favorites include "Somerville" and an introduction straight from Oasis that leads into a delightfully upbeat tune; "How Can I Compare", in which Joe waxes sentimental like he did on "How To Live Alone" from "Yours, Mine and Ours"; "B.S. Johnson", with a catchy, relentlessly driving bassline akin to that of "The Weakest Shade of Blue" also from "Yours, Mine and Ours"; "Lightheaded" and its upbeat bridge; "High as a Kite" has much the same wistfulness of "Our Time Has Passed" from "The World Won't End", but with an even more beautiful chorus; and "Grudge F**k", a reworking of a Scud Mountain Boys song which I have not heard before, but cannot have been as damn good as this version. I could go on and on about the merits of all of these songs, some of the finest examples of music as art in the 21st century. Buy this album. (And the rest of the Pernice Brothers' stuff if you haven't yet).

I'm not as schooled in the history of this band as some of the other reviewers here, but I can give you a first timer's impression of the music, based on my own "take a blind chance and buy it" experience with this particular album.

Put simply, it's good. I like it. It took a couple of listens for it to make an impression, and the impression it did make was mild, but it was also pleasant.

I gather, from what I've read, that this group has toyed with styles, but not excessively, swinging around between pop, rock, and the various genres between. What you've got here is one of those middle grounds, a sort of Art House Playground Pop with a little Flophouse Rock on the side. It's simple and pared down, and there are no flourishes to the music itself, which is intelligent and crafted with a close, discerning eye. I especially like the faux-slap dash fun of Automaton, the gloomy glee of Zero Refills, and, of course, the magnificent melancholy of Grudge F***. In fact, when I think of it, there are no songs on here that I feel compelled or able to complain about, and that's no mean feat.

The lyricism is by turns impressive (I love a band that can actually say something, instead of just sing it) and a little goofy. It's hard to be profound all of the time (thank you, The Shins, for propping the bar up a little higher), and occasionally I found myself raising an eyebrow at a few lines (" ... dumbfounded, like a dog that's been told to levitate ... " is one I always chuckle at, and not because it's funny).

For the most part, there is nothing wrong with this record, even if there isn't much that's exceptionally right, either. The album, in fact, is almost too slick; its glossy simplicity means its liable to slip out of the mind before it has time to stick. The notes are lush and sun-lit while the writing is dark and deep. This ironic contrast is laudable and well-played, but the words call for some measure of friction that is missing in the production. What you're left with is a fine piece of work that is more than listenable even if, ultimately, it's not that notable.

Great songs from top to bottom. If you like the sound of the Pernice Bros, OVERCOME BY HAPPINESS, you will be pleased to hear the return of that sound. Joe reunited with producer Michael Deming, and the results are astounding. If you don't own any P. Brothers cds, fans of the Beatles,Wilco,America, & Hayden, should enjoy their sound.
Solid cd....

They may not be for everyone, but if you like the notion of a band taking cues from the Beatles and the Smiths and churning out intelligent, sly, perfectly crafted pop gems, sometimes not unlike Crowded House or Squeeze and smarter/better than the likes of Fountains of Wayne, then you MUST buy this or any Pernice Brothers album. They are indeed criminally under-appreciated.

Overrated? The Pernice Brothers are one of the finest groups on the planet, but unknown to most people. Their CDs are uniformly excellent, as are all the CDs put out by Joe Pernice. I've never had the pleasure of seeing them live, but their music is on my heavy rotation list - I very short one, as I have a huge collection. When I think of "A Good Feeling to Know" by Poco, "Extension of A Man"" by Donny Hathaway, and "Smash Your Head Against The Wall"/Whistle Rhymes" by John Entwistle, I'm looking back on Criminally underrated CDs that should have launched those artists to the top of the charts. I think of every Joe Pernice CD in the same way. It's a shame that he's not known to more of the public. There is no better songwriter out there right now.

I read an article in Business Week about this group and had to go get the cd. I have been playing it a lot ever since I got it. It has music that seems very familiar in a strange way. Reminds me of some songs from the 60s but I could not be specific. Highly recommend this cd. Different than anything I have heard in a long time.

Buy this album. If you don't have all the rest buy them too. There is still time to discover this world class band you never heard of. Learn new vocabulary words from Joe Pernice's great smartass lyrics. Another masterpiece.

This is somewhat atmospheric pop-rock music with a slight countrypolitan vibe.

The arrangements are nice. The melodies are nice. The musicians all play very nicely. There are no rough edges, like a infant's house with excessive child-proofing.

When I hear one of these songs show up in a shuffle play with a bunch of other discs, I really like it! When I hear all of them in a row, my ears start to glaze over after maybe three songs. Almost identical melodic ideas from song to song (Somerville/B.S. Johnson), a vocalist who never seems to stray from a middle-of-the-road intensity level from mid-tempo song to mid-tempo song (except for a fleeting fragility in verses of track 11), and so on.

And I shouldn't say it, because we're all derivative in some way, but track one starts off with the exact same melody in the same key as the first song on an Elvis Costello album ("Spike"). And isn't that "Pleasant Valley Sunday" sneaking into "PCH One"? Sorry, I'll stop there.

But, and but. Some interesting and intelligent lyrics. The problem for me is when my ears glaze over because of the above, it's hard for the lyrical ideas to get through.

I actually had the Scud Mtn. Boys album with the much-ballyhooed "Grude F***" on it. This is the first album I've gotten from Mr. Pernice & crew since then. I think they've improved their act, put a nice high sheen on it, ramped up the songcraft since then. Which is great for some. In some ways this is "perfect pop". For my tastes, though, I can only take the high sheen in small doses. I mean, the Beatles sure as heck worked endlessly on their arrangements, didn't they? Why does their stuff seem so timeless and this stuff seems kind of inconsequential? Somehow they buffed a lot of the life out of it, maybe? Discuss.