Search - Pernice Brothers :: Live a Little

Pernice Brothers
Live a Little
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock

Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
1. Automaton
2. Somerville
3. Cruelty to Animals
4. Zero Refills
5. Microscopic View
6. How Can I Compare
7. B.S. Johnson
8. PCH One
9. Conscience Clean (I Went to Spain)
10. Lightheaded
11. High as a Kite
12. Grudge F*** [2006]

CD Details

All Artists: Pernice Brothers
Title: Live a Little
Members Wishing: 5
Total Copies: 0
Label: Ashmont Records
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 10/3/2006
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
Style: Indie & Lo-Fi
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 634457178427, 5016958074821

Synopsis

Album Description

Live a Little is the sixth recording by The Pernice Brothers, and it marks as much a return to form as it does a departure from what came before it. For one thing, there's the reunion of Joe Pernice and producer Michael Deming, who worked on the recordings of Joe's previous band, the Scud Mountain Boys, as well as the very first Pernice Brothers record, Overcome By Happiness. This one has strings AND horns, which has not been part of the formula (and it IS indeed a formula) since OBH. But, and this is a mighty exception, it's much more of a rock record than that was, representing the running of big fat analog tape while sweaty guys played loud rock music on well-crafted instruments through amplifiers and pounded on sweet, old, drum kits. Oh, and it marks a return to New England, having been recorded in Connecticut, which one of the band members used to disparage as nothing more than the state in his when he wanted to travel from Massachusetts to New York. He's now grown to pay it the respect it deserves as a rock mecca, hiding in plain sight. Lyrically, it's another masterpiece, and if distinctions must be drawn, perhaps this one's a bit more literary, where the last one Discover a Lovelier You was somewhat more cinematic. "PCH One" probably could have been a Scud Mountain Boys song, and "Grudge F*** (2006) was a Scud Mountain Boys song (without the 2006), but instead of the gentle, almost lazy, plaintive plodding of the original recording, the Pernice Brothers version out-Badfingers Badfinger and that's good. You can feel its pain. It also has the trademark Pernice geography obsession. There are eleven very excellently crafted and executed new songs in all, plus the aforementioned "Grudge," which is indeed a stunner.

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CD Reviews

Nobody does it bitter. I mean better.

armenianthunder | los angeles | 11/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What is it about that combination of paranoiac, eternally crestfallen, heartsick lyrics over bright, blindingly sunny 70's AM Gold melodic pop? How can music be so anchored in both neverending disappointment and desperate hope-against-hope? I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb by declaring that few do it better than the Pernice Brothers. The songs of Joe Pernice are at once gorgeous exercises of the pop melodies that made those of Zombies, Bread, and Jimmy Webb so timeless, and the lyrical kick that could only come in a post-Morrissey kind of world. This latest album is a return to the chamber-pop sound of the band's debut, "Overcome By Happiness," after the faux-80's dance-nouveau tendencies of the last 2 records. Songs like "Somerville," which is the best song Teenage Fanclub never wrote, "PCH One," a tribute of sorts to that singular relationship of Ponch & Jon of C.H.I.P.S. (for those of you old enough to know of whence I speak), and "Cruelty to Animals" are among their finest, and will nest in your brain like tumors. Plus, the added bonus of a remake of the Scud Mountain Boys classic-that-never-was "Grudge F***." What can I say? Another winner."

Stunning and complex

Franklin | West Des Moines, IA USA | 10/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The songs on the new Pernice Brothers get better with each listen. They are nothing short of stunning - complex and elegant, yet simple. By far, their best CD to date - each song distinct and very well crafted. Ranging from hard driving (BS Johnson, Microscopic View) to more melodic (PCH One) I can't get the CD out of my car or the songs out of my head - yet each listen opens up new elements in the lyrics and the instrumentation. Joe's vocal are fantastic, Peyton's guitar work is awesome. Get this CD now - and go see them on tour if they stop in your town(they are fantastic live)!!!"

The ethereal greatness of the Pernice Brothers continues...

Kenneth Tong | New York, NY | 10/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a fan of the Pernice Brothers' earlier work, stop reading this and go purchase the album right now. At first listen, I wasn't very impressed, but each song grew on me considerably with repeated listens, as I had experienced with their previous albums, and I'm tempted to call this my favorite yet. Live a Little evokes the vibe of Overcome By Happiness, with lilting melodies and clever, incisive lyrics that cut straight to the heart and mind. Joe Pernice has never been better in terms of songwriting or with the emotional impact of his distinctly breathy yet clear voice. Song arrangements have become more complex and adds to the trademark sublime quality of the Pernice Brothers' work. All the songs are excellent, but particular favorites include "Somerville" and an introduction straight from Oasis that leads into a delightfully upbeat tune; "How Can I Compare", in which Joe waxes sentimental like he did on "How To Live Alone" from "Yours, Mine and Ours"; "B.S. Johnson", with a catchy, relentlessly driving bassline akin to that of "The Weakest Shade of Blue" also from "Yours, Mine and Ours"; "Lightheaded" and its upbeat bridge; "High as a Kite" has much the same wistfulness of "Our Time Has Passed" from "The World Won't End", but with an even more beautiful chorus; and "Grudge F**k", a reworking of a Scud Mountain Boys song which I have not heard before, but cannot have been as damn good as this version. I could go on and on about the merits of all of these songs, some of the finest examples of music as art in the 21st century. Buy this album. (And the rest of the Pernice Brothers' stuff if you haven't yet)."

No Frills Wallflowers

Mark Eremite | Seoul, South Korea | 11/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not as schooled in the history of this band as some of the other reviewers here, but I can give you a first timer's impression of the music, based on my own "take a blind chance and buy it" experience with this particular album.

Put simply, it's good. I like it. It took a couple of listens for it to make an impression, and the impression it did make was mild, but it was also pleasant.

I gather, from what I've read, that this group has toyed with styles, but not excessively, swinging around between pop, rock, and the various genres between. What you've got here is one of those middle grounds, a sort of Art House Playground Pop with a little Flophouse Rock on the side. It's simple and pared down, and there are no flourishes to the music itself, which is intelligent and crafted with a close, discerning eye. I especially like the faux-slap dash fun of Automaton, the gloomy glee of Zero Refills, and, of course, the magnificent melancholy of Grudge F***. In fact, when I think of it, there are no songs on here that I feel compelled or able to complain about, and that's no mean feat.

The lyricism is by turns impressive (I love a band that can actually say something, instead of just sing it) and a little goofy. It's hard to be profound all of the time (thank you, The Shins, for propping the bar up a little higher), and occasionally I found myself raising an eyebrow at a few lines (" ... dumbfounded, like a dog that's been told to levitate ... " is one I always chuckle at, and not because it's funny).

For the most part, there is nothing wrong with this record, even if there isn't much that's exceptionally right, either. The album, in fact, is almost too slick; its glossy simplicity means its liable to slip out of the mind before it has time to stick. The notes are lush and sun-lit while the writing is dark and deep. This ironic contrast is laudable and well-played, but the words call for some measure of friction that is missing in the production. What you're left with is a fine piece of work that is more than listenable even if, ultimately, it's not that notable.

"

BUY THIS CD!

Vince Fontana | Houston,TX USA | 10/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great songs from top to bottom. If you like the sound of the Pernice Bros, OVERCOME BY HAPPINESS, you will be pleased to hear the return of that sound. Joe reunited with producer Michael Deming, and the results are astounding. If you don't own any P. Brothers cds, fans of the Beatles,Wilco,America, & Hayden, should enjoy their sound.

Solid cd....

"