Chappaquiddick Skyline
Chappaquiddick Skyline
[Sub Pop]
Rating: 6.0
There are a few things you should know about this disc right off the bat:
1. The only color represented on either the cover art or the CD itself is a
particularly melancholy shade of blue. The disc itself has no writing or
identifying marks on it at all, save for its blueness.
2. The seventh song on Chappaquiddick Skyline is entitled "Theme to
an Endless Bummer." This could just as well have been the album title.
3. The first words out of Joe Pernice's mouth on the opening track, "Everyone
Else is Evolving" are: "I hate my life."
Yes, this is the latest installment of Joe Pernice's terminally-depressed
orchestral pop musings, and as if you haven't already gathered, this album
is a downer. Someone needs to give this guy a hug before he jumps
off a building.
You might have thought that the Pernice Brothers' Overcome by Happiness
was in need of a good dose of Prozac, but that disc is positively sunny in
disposition compared to this latest effort. And the fact is, Pernice
definitely knows what he's doing-- these songs'll tug at your heartstrings
as impatiently as any sad song ever penned. However, some problems arise here.
Pernice's past efforts-- whether with the Pernice Brothers (the lineup of which
is virtually the same as Chappaquiddick Skyline, minus Joe's brother Bob), or
his first group, the underrated Scud Mountain Boys-- have always included at
least a few up-tempo tracks to alleviate the gloom. Not so here. And it
wouldn't even be so bad, except that the album is also sadly lacking in
Pernice's beautiful ethereal vocal melodies, which graced Overwhelmed by
Happiness so plentifully.
With the exception of the cover of New Order's "Leave Me Alone," every song
on Chappaquiddick Skyline drags its feet. Too many of these songs float
by on nothing more than a breathy Pernice vocal and a chiming guitar progression.
This lends the album a breezy, nonchalant air, but it also leaves the listener
precious little to sink teeth into. Tracks like "The Two of You Sleep" and
"Knights of the Night Volume 1" sound like half-baked demos. It doesn't help
that Pernice's vocal style is so deliberate that you can practically see him
enunciating each word. Sadness and pain resonate in his voice, but it's almost
as if that he's so bummed that he feels like he can't afford to let a little
personality show through.
On a more positive note, there are a few songs here that replicate the standard
Pernice formula with quite a bit of success. "Courage Up" and "Hundred Dollar
Pocket" are both examples of Pernice at his best-- lilting melodies, beautiful
arrangements and thoughtful (if still pretty depressing) lyrics. However, that
the most successful track here is a cover of a New Order song doesn't lend much
to Joe's credibility.
It's unclear whether Pernice has shelved the Pernice Brothers moniker in favor
of Chappaquiddick Skyline, or if this is just a side project that utilizes many
of the same players he usually works with. If the side project scenario is
accurate, he can certainly be forgiven this slight misstep. After all, if this
disc had been recorded by a no-name with no previous recordings to judge by, I
would probably be much more forgiving in my judgment. However, on this release,
Pernice doesn't quite live up to his legacy, and what I and many others know he's
eminently capable of. Here's hoping he's feeling a touch more motivated next
time around.
-Jeremy Schneyer