Spread the Feeling – the Pernice Brothers are Back!
(I wrote this in September but forgot to post) Over the past 20 years whenever I have been bored or tired or sad or just looking for something pleasant to listen to, I have turned to the Pernice Brothers. The band was formed by Joe Pernice in 1996 – and has included a cast of characters including his brother, Bob. Joe Pernice has released some excellent solo albums and a couple of country tinged records as the Scud Mountain Boys, and a New Mendicants record with Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub). But the Pernice Brothers records, universally excellent, stand alone with lush power pop orchestrations, hushed harmonies and a deeply melodic groove that recalls Revolver era Beatles, Gene Clark era Byrds, Smile era Beach Boys, Todd Rundgren, early Big Star, Teenage Fanclub etc. Any song on any of their albums could have been a hit in another era. However, the early 2000s was all about hip hop, smooth R&B, Christian rock and the last remnants of dance music. They could hardly get a record deal. Fortunately, for me, all of the albums were released on CD and could easily be picked up at any half decent record store. Yours, Mine and Ours and the World Won’t End have both been reissued on vinyl. The live album, Nobody’s Watching sounded a bit like a bootleg. In any case, Goodbye Killer was released 9 years ago and since then – nothing much. I had given up.
Until – last week, I googled “Pernice Brothers” and lo and behold – a new album: Spread the Feeling. I immediately stumped up the $20 (plus $24 shipping plus God knows how much VAT and duty) for the LP plus download (16 bit only). Five minutes later and it was 2005 all over again – the joyous tones of Joe and Bob and Peyton Pinkerton, James Walbourne, Patrick Berkery, Ric Menck, Neko Case, Pete Yorn, Liam Jaeger, Budo, and others. It is fantastic.
Hopefully the album will get a wider release at some stage – and, I’m holding my breath, maybe a European tour.
Below is the Pernice Brothers discography from Wikipedia.
- Overcome by Happiness (Sub Pop; CD; 1998)
- The World Won’t End (Ashmont Records; CD; 2001)
- Yours, Mine and Ours (Ashmont Records; CD; 2003)
- Nobody’s Watching/Nobody’s Listening; Ashmont Records; live; CD/DVD; 2005)
- Discover a Lovelier You (Ashmont Records; CD; 2005)
- Live a Little (Ashmont Records; CD; 2006)
- Goodbye, Killer (Ashmont Records; CD; 2010)
- Spread The Feeling (Ashmont Records; 2019)
audioexchange 