Chappaquiddick Skyline
If there were ever a candidate for Zoloft, it would be Joe Pernice. His gloomy funk has persisted through threeScud Mountain Boysalbums, onePernice BrothersCD, and now it pervades his newest project,Chappaquiddick Skyline. "I hate my life," he croons in his broken wisp of a voice, just to set the record straight in the opener "Everyone Else Is Evolving." In case you don't get the message that he's a glass-half-empty person, he furthers his world-weary view on "Theme to an Endless Bummer" and theNew Ordercover "Leave Me Alone." On "Up in Michigan" he sings, "I'm going to break you down / you look so tired in your clothes." Bummer indeed. So, unless your bookshelf is stocked with Sylvia Plath and the gas in your oven is turned on, why bother listening toChappaquiddick Skyline? Because Pernice's blue mood is equaled by his ability to write stunningly beautiful songs. His breathy voice is lovely, his melodies uplifting, his sparse arrangements evocative and haunting. Depression has never sounded so inviting.--Tod Nelson