Goodbye, Killer

Although Pernice Brothers haven't released a record proper since 2006's Live a Little, one would be hard-pressed to describe the time between that record and their new album, Goodbye, Killer, as time off. Singer/songwriter Joe Pernice wrote a novel, last year's It Feels so Good When I Stop, recorded an accompanying soundtrack featuring his take on songs referenced in the book, and went on a supporting book tour. The novel was written in first person, so while Pernice may swear it was all fictional, it was hard not to read a fair dose of reality into the main character. It served to establish Pernice as an indie-rock everyman: beating off into urinals, screwing up in love, eating bad diner food, receiving rejection letters from Sub Pop (though the real life Pernice actually scored that deal long ago). The book, in essence, was about striving to grow up, perhaps the single biggest obstacle guys like Pernice face (and, for that matter, the people who read his books and review his records). If It feels So Good When I Stop could be accused of anything, it was that it was trying too hard.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010

In a 2008 Pitchfork interview, Sub Pop co-founder Jonathan Poneman cited the Pernice Brothers' debut Overcome by Happiness as a record that never got its due. He was right. Joe Pernice had already established himself as a talented writer with the Scud Mountain Boys, and the shift from country to tastefully orchestrated power-pop only further focused and highlighted his skills. Alas, like many writers in that field, it was easy to take his talents for granted, and after several albums that incorporated fresh elements of 1980s college rock and AM pop, it was hard not to secretly hope for something, well, more.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010