Pernice Brothers - Goodbye, Killer

(One Little Indian)

There’s a lot to like about this sixth album from the veteran Massachusetts indie outfit, but somehow it never quite coheres into a standout record. The mood is generally strummy, melancholic and mature, somewhere between the guitar pop of The Shins and the layered Americana craftsmanship of The Jayhawks, with real songwriting intelligence from frontman Joe Pernice. The feistiest track here, ‘Jacqueline Susann’ is also the best, an aggressive love letter to treasure, but elsewhere the band let the relaxed alt.country vibe take over a tad too much, leaving not too much for the ears to grab a hold of.