Big Tobacco

Album review

Joe Pernice could whisper throughout an entire record and still keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether heard loudly through a state-of-the-art hi-fi in your bedroom or noisily through the blown speakers of your '79 Pinto, his voice will grab you. One can forgive the schizophrenia of guises in his discography given the prolific and consistently great material that runs throughout it. Whether he operates as/with the Scud Mountain Boys, the Pernice Brothers, Chappaquiddick Skyline, or now under his own name (although the artwork doesn't display this), Pernice continues to unleash excellent songs as if they were erupting from a magical spring of classic songs. The real kicker is that Pernice has had these droplets in his bucket since he was with the Scuds. These songs were intended for the band's fourth record, and thankfully something provoked him to bring them to the surface. Like the Chappaquiddick record, he considers this side project fodder, not good enough for his primary vehicle in the Pernice Brothers. Talk about underestimating youself! A couple songs definitely have the slant of Massachusetts-era Scud Mountain Boys, like "I Still Can't Say Her Name" and the surprisingly violent murder ballad "Bum Leg." Otherwise, much of this would have made prime Pernice Brothers material in its mid-tempo melancholia and mostly acoustic-based pop with light electric fluourishes. The production is closer to the suitably pop polish of Overcome by Happiness than the crisp, trebly, solemn Chappaquiddick Skyline, and the lineup throughout resembles that of Pernice's previous efforts. The downside is that this record didn't find a U.S. label. Released through Glitterhouse in Germany and Spunk in Australia, it will require a bit of effort to obtain. The hassle will be more than a fair tradeoff.

© Andy Kellman /TiVo