Yours, Mine & Ours
Some artists spend their entire careers exploring the tension between gorgeous melodies and depressing lyrics. FormerScud Mountain BoyJoe Pernicehas demonstrated that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as such the masters of the field asScott Walker,Stephen Merritt, andMorrissey. On his first seven albums, Pernice crafted lovely, dark, and often funny pop- and country-tinged ballads with choruses like "I hate my life." He made videos where his band rescues Death from the side of the road, then plays Frisbee with him. But on his eighth album, Pernice allows something very strange to creep into his music: joy. "Won't you come unbury me" he sings on the power-pop opener, "Weakest Shade of Blue." No, he hasn't suddenly morphed intoChristopher Cross(there is that chanting chorus of "Cut the baby in two"), but this is largely a happy album. The backing musicians, meanwhile, have discovered an adventurous meeting place between theSmiths' guitar-driven anthems, theZombies' vocally intricate garage-pop, and melt-in-your-mouth '70s Quaalude rock.--Mike McGonigal