Pernice BrothersLive a Little
Ashmont Records
Joe Pernice might be America’s most inconspicuous pop genius, but he’s hardly been hiding out. In recent years, the 39 year-old New Englander completed a once unimaginable pop culture trifecta-- writing a book about The Smiths, singing an homage to Manny Ramirez, and guest-starring on Gilmore Girls. For good measure, he also went ahead and recorded another splendid set of sour-power-pop tunes for the new Pernice Brothers album, Live a Little.
While all four of the band’s previous efforts were released just in time for summer, Live a Little hit the shelves in October— a surprisingly noticeable change-up. Leaf color aside, however, these new songs are just as warm as their predecessors, harkening back to the lush string and horn arrangements of the group’s 1998 debut, Overcome By Happiness. Guitarists Peyton Pinkerton and Bob Pernice have traded some of their jangle for a bit more crunch, but Joe Pernice’s feathery vocals haven’t changed a bit, nor have his astute observations on mankind’s emotional baggage.
“She believes what doesn’t kill her only takes more time to kill her,” he sings on “Cruelty to Animals,” a standout, up-tempo number with an oddly appropriate sadness to it. That is the Joe Pernice trademark, after all, and he’s rarely done it better than on the heartbreaking “PCH One” and the epic album closer “Grudge F***,” a remake of a song Pernice originally performed with his old alt-country outfit, The Scud Mountain Boys.
(Andrew Clayman)
Published in The Metro Pulse, October 2006
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