Search - :: No. 1

Strong debut from The Public Good

Bob Hornsby | 07/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Public Good has done the world a service with their earnest debut effort. The irreverence of Jarvis Cocker and the self-deprecation of Paul Westerberg, combined with smart lyrics, energetic guitar riffs and the occasional "sha-la-la" make for a unique collection of songs that each stand alone on their respective merits, but work together as a cohesive album that keeps getting better on each successive listen.



"Baby, Baby, Baby" starts it off with a misfit's lament about his marital bliss being turned on its head by the arrival of a baby boy. "No Heaven" will remind some of a nice mix of The Fray and Franz Ferdinand. The amusingly melancholy "If I Still Had Hair" takes us from frustrated guitar licks to the tender moment where the singer tells his ex that "I get up early to write and I think about you." The arc closes achingly gently with "at the end of the day" - when "everyone's at their worst". Any regular commuter will share the angst, but happily can fill those hours on the road by playing "No. 1" all over again.



Highly recommended."