The Pernice Brothers-- Discover a Lovelier You

Always winter but never Christmas. Such was the cruel curse in C.S. Lewis’ beloved world of Narnia. Listening to Discover a Lovelier You, it’s tempting to say that, in the world of Joe Pernice, it’s always summer but never vacation.

Pernice might as well have called the album Discover a Lovelier You, Because This Current Model Ain’t Too Pretty. Indeed, there are few pop songwriters who have forged such a prolific career out of cynicism and gloom. Recorded by Pernice and his ad hoc collective of collaborators, Discover a Lovelier You continues the long-running Pernice tradition of creating delicious pop delicacies out of fear, hopelessness, and alienation.

What’s different this time is the musical backdrop. Rarely has there been such a jarringly odd couple of sound and lyric; while Pernice’s sentiment is perpetually cloudy, his music has never sounded sunnier. These are the kind of sweet confections that demand to be played in the car on a hot summer day, windows down and stereo blasting.

Listening to these thirteen new songs, it’s easy to understand why Pernice has developed such a sizeable cult following. The man is a walking encyclopedia of pop music: he channels the spirit of Brian Wilson with the sweet vocal harmonies of “Saddest Quo”; he references 1980s techno on “Sell Your Hair”; and he crossbreeds the Beatles and the Shins on the furious “Snow.” His pleasing, unquavering voice is given ample room by the warm, sun-kissed arrangements, and as a melody writer he deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as Sam Phillips, Ron Sexsmith, and Elvis Costello. It’s a recipe for pop brilliance, and Pernice follows it to the letter.

Which isn’t to say that there aren’t missteps. Many of the album’s mid-tempo songs (“Sell Your Hair,” “My So-Called Celibate Life”) lack the spark of his livelier tracks, and the social commentary on “Dumb it Down” seems way too easy for a lyricist of Pernice’s caliber. Still, for clunker there are at least a couple of gems. “Saddest Quo” is a heavenly anthem of despair that invites you to sing along at full volume, and the title cut is the album’s gorgeous instrumental centerpiece. And those aren’t even the best songs; just get a load of the killer hook on “Subject Drop” and the amazing glow of “Amazing Glow.”

You’d think that such a talented pop songsmith would have plenty to be happy about, but Pernice, as always, finds the black lining of every silver cloud. The most optimistic line on the whole record comes in the beautiful breakup song, “There Goes the Sun”:

Kick the life from me and none better comes
‘Til one better
comes, there goes the sun

Things just go downhill from there. Political frustration abounds, as Pernice lampoons our age of color-coded homeland security in “Say Goodnight to the Lady” and mourns our culture’s celebration of mediocrity in “Dumb it Down.” In “My So-Called Celibate Life” he’s “out of love and out of luck,” and “it’s a short slide down” to total desperation.

Pernice’s vision of the world is illuminated the brightest in “Saddest Quo.” Here, Pernice vows that he’s “trying to be a better person,” but his hopefulness is tried and tested by the brokenness that surrounds him:

There’s a train wreck
Picking up survivors from a plane crash
On the TV live
And it’s a sad status quotient,
Waiting for the sky to fall

Here, the gaping chasm between sound and lyric begins to make sense. Amidst such sad words, the music turns from bright and chipper to wistful—almost hopeful—as if each hook and every note is really Pernice’s prayer for deliverance. And, as I witness him creating order and beauty in a sometimes ugly world, I realize that the art of the Pernice Brothers may very well be part of the answer to the world’s prayers for healing and grace.

(Originally posted by Josh Hurst at Reveal.)