[.ca] Chappaquiddick Skyline

From Amazon.com:
If there were ever a candidate for Zoloft, it would be Joe Pernice. His gloomy funk has persisted through three Scud Mountain Boys albums, one Pernice Brothers CD, and now it pervades his newest project, Chappaquiddick Skyline. "I hate my life," he croons in his broken wisp of a voice, just to set the record straight in the opener "Everyone Else Is Evolving." In case you don't get the message that he's a glass-half-empty person, he furthers his world-weary view on "Theme to an Endless Bummer" and the New Order cover "Leave Me Alone." On "Up in Michigan" he sings, "I'm going to break you down / you look so tired in your clothes." Bummer indeed. So, unless your bookshelf is stocked with Sylvia Plath and the gas in your oven is turned on, why bother listening to Chappaquiddick Skyline? Because Pernice's blue mood is equaled by his ability to write stunningly beautiful songs. His breathy voice is lovely, his melodies uplifting, his sparse arrangements evocative and haunting. Depression has never sounded so inviting. --Tod Nelson

Sad-Sack Lullabies:
Joe Pernice has a knack for crafting anthemic melodies that sound as though they've been around forever. "Overcome By Happiness" is filled to the brim with those, but this album's charm lies in its claustrophobic intimacy. And that's precisely where it also fails. Some songs, such as the sloppily titled "Theme from an Endless Bummer" and "Knights of the Night vol. 1" sound beautiful but feel unfinished and incomplete. They sound like acoustic lullabies, drifting out just before they reveal too much. And for good reason: Pernice is being slightly more literal about his sexuality and much more personal in his lyrics, but he isn't quite comfortable with his confessionals yet. In the stronger tracks ("Solitary Swedish Houses," "Courage Up," "Leave Me Alone"), the lyrics are more universal, if every bit as melancholy, and the instrumental production is sizably larger. The rest of the album seems to be a continuation of the downer track to end all downer tracks, "Ferris Wheel." And that's certainly no complaint - as a whole, "Chappaquiddick Skyline" is a beautifully depressing portrait of emotional desperation and dramatized disappointment. If at times the sentiment goes overboard, it never sounds insincere.

Sad Sack's Delight:
The first words you hear on this disc is "I hate my life". That sort of sets the tone for the entire album. So if that is not the subject matter for you, You best avoid this disc. But for those who are into sad-core, or slow-core music, this is a great album. Suprisingly, I find myself listening to this more than Massachuttess, Pernice's fine disc recorded with Scud Mountain Boys.

Quite A Find.:
Thanks Amazon for putting this on my welcome page, I got it for Christmas and I really enjoy it. Moody, depressing, yet beautiful. My favorite is the melancholy lullaby THE TWO OF YOU SLEEP.

Music 4 the Upper Peninsula:
Chappaquiddick Skyline is a set of lovely laid back contemplative melodies by the folks who brought us "Scud Mountain Boys" and "Pernice Brothers." "If you could hear me laughing, I'm going to break your spirit down, I'm going to break you down...," Joe Pernice sings on "Up In Michigan," and from the sad laid back tone, he must be talking upper peninsula. "Do you wonder where I am right now?" Pernice sings on the beautiful melody "Hundred Dollar Pocket," "I can't say that you ever were my friend, but I loved you as hard as I could fall." "Knights of the Night Vol. 1" has gay themes with a sad meandering melody, "When he held me, I knew I was alive, and a million stars kissed the sky when he held me." New Order's "Leave Me Alone" is like a great constellation of shimmering guitar chiming like points of light in the sky. "Solitary Swedish Houses" has a slow samba-like feel with Beach Boy-era harmony. "The Two of You Sleep" has a simple guitar part with a lyric filled with regret, "As the light broke over the party, I saw the two of you sleep; With your clothes rolled up on the floor, I saw the two of you sleep." "Chappaqiddick Skyline" is delightful, which might sound like a strange comment for a set filled with themes of sadness. But Joe Pernice constructs lovely melodies that float and shimmer, quite original and interesting. Enjoy!

Being Joe Pernice:
...Seriously though, get it if you're a die hard fan. If you're merely curious about who this guy is, start with his latest album, then move on to "Overcome By Happiness" if you find you like it, which I do.

• Everyone Else Is Evolving
• Solitary Swedish Houses
• Courage Up
• Two of You Sleep
• Breakneck Speed
• Theme to an Endless Bummer
• Up in Michigan
• Hundred Dollar Pocket
• Nobody's Watching
• Knights of the Night, Vol. 1
• Leave Me Alone
• Kidney Shaped Pool