The latest PERNICE BROTHERS record heralds a return to the ‘proper’ studio (A 24 track 2-inch analogue studio, no less! – Stuidio .45 in Connecticut), as opposed to the set-up at home, and features an orchestra, grand piano as well as lots of guitars played through vintage gear. A veritable oyster of a record according to Joe Pernice, and in terms of classic rock and roll this is as well put together as many of the greatest, and with the songs to back up the overall feel to boot. The real deal, in short.
Peyton Pinkerton, Pat Berkerey and James Walbourne also feature on the album, as well as Joe Pernice’s brother Bob, and the results are melancholy, soulful, country-tinged and epic, as we would perhaps expect from a band 11 albums into their recording career. The difference with this one is in the energy and the weight of emotion that breathe life into the riffed out rock music that pours forth.
Though the music strikes common ground in terms of the epic rock record, with a series of classic sounding guitar tracks nailing down the sentiment, it also has a huge feel in its own right. Careful, polished production allows this series of delicately crafted songs to flow like a river, as gentle piano pieces linger underneath collecting much of the melancholy.
With lyrics that range from the literal/straightforward to near-symbolic confusion, it is Joe Pernice’s vocal that assumes responsibility for the record’s overall feel.
“I’m sick of the cynical/ I’m sick of the fashion show” is how the soulful rock n’ roll of ‘Somerville’ begins, following up the Northern stomp of opener ‘Automation’ with an open longing for escape from the city. That full-on percussive onslaught echoes through the tracks, and adds to the retrospective feel brilliantly, offering a shift in tempo just when the record seems about to overflow with sadness.
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As it does in the global kitchen sink of domesticity and escapism that is ‘Conscience Clean(I Went to Spain)’. Jukebox-mandatory and poetic all at once, it is instantly top pals with both your tapping toes and your cherished memories, using the familiar feel of the music to dig a little deeper(at a time when good love songs are getting harder and harder to come by).
Lyrically it’s wistful, looking deep into the past and even seems to play in reverse in places as the words spill out across the music. Conventional it may well be, or even middle-of-the-road to some, but that is because it has all of the definitive qualities of rock n roll in abundance. This and the veneered production even further cocoon the instrospective, hazy pace of songs which ooze creativity and reflect habitual artistic thought patterns.
The Finale, ‘Grudge F***’, is a ‘cover’ of a song that Joe Pernice wrote for THE SCUD MOUNTAIN BOYS. Indulgent, perhaps, but with fantastic results for those who like a stadium rock epic or two in amongst the collection. Even if you don’t, you will still recognise the quality apparent in all areas of this. It’s a hit!
http://www.myspace.com/pernicebrothers
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