"I just wanted to make a pretty and mellow pop record. And I'm not afraid to use the word 'pop.' There's nothing shameful about it."
-Joe Pernice on Overcome by Happiness

Geez, Joe, why so defensive? Who's got a problem with innovative pop, whether it's mellow or raucous? Apparently, Sub Pop doesn't. They're marketing this record as a "bold departure." Don't let 'em fool you.

The Pernice Brothers have put together an okay pop record. What's wrong with it isn't that it's too pretty, mellow, or poppy. The problems crop up when the guys venture into easy listening, like on "Sick of You," "Chicken Wire," and "Ferris Wheel" in which the line between mellow and Muzak is made indistinct.

On the other hand, the Brothers' better songs ("Crestfallen," "Clear Spot," "Wait to Stop") are exquisitely pretty, and not even that mellow. Their debut sounds a lot like Pernice's last band, the Scud Mountain Boys, sans the country framework and with the addition of an orchestra. The record comes complete with strings, horns, and Brian Wilson- esque vocal arrangements.

Upon listening to Overcome By Happiness, no one should be terribly shaken up that Joe Pernice became disenchanted with country music, or that he wanted to return to old- fashioned pop for inspiration. Because on Overcome, he occasionally manages to churn out a great pop song. Of course, Pernice also does his share of mining the wrong genre (1970s saccharine lite-pop), thereby making Overcome By Happiness one of those record that dawdles along, another forgotten pop album in a sea of forgotten pop albums.

-James Coyle