Pernice Brothers Live A Little CD

On 2006's LIVE A LITTLE, singer/guitarist Joe Pernice leads his New England-based cadre through another set of highly melodic indie-pop, proving yet again that he is one of the most sorely underrated songwriters of his generation. With this album, Pernice places the 1980s post-punk fixation of previous outings back in the attic, emerging with a bright, buoyant chamber-pop sound that recalls the band's lauded debut, OVERCOME BY HAPPINESS. (This is no coincidence, since this record shares the former disc's producer, Michael Deming.) In addition to charming, literate tunes such as "Somerville" and "Zero Refills," LIVE A LITTLE features a reworked version of the desperate, lovesick "Grudge F***," one of Pernice's finest songs from his Scud Mountain Boys days, drawing an arc over the span of his remarkably consistent career.

Audio Mixer: Mike Deming.

Recording information: Studio 45, Enfield, CT.

Editors: Mike Deming; Keith Chirgwin.

The Pernice Brothers: Bob Pernice (vocals, guitar); Joe Pernice (guitar, bass instrument); Michael Deming (organ, synthesizer, hand claps, percussion, background vocals); Peyton Pinkerton (drums, percussion); Patrick Berkery, James Walbourne.

Personnel: Joe Pernice (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric 12-string guitar); Peyton Pinkerton (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); James Walbourne (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric 12-string guitar, piano); Bob Pernice (electric guitar, background vocals); Martha Kayser, Lisa Rautenberg (violin); Arthur Masi (viola); Kathy Schiano (cello); Frank Tamburro (trumpet, flugelhorn); Shane McMahon (trumpet); Scott Bean, Topher Logan (trombone); Dan Innaimo (bass trombone); Mike Deming (organ, hand claps, percussion, background vocals); Patrick Berkery (drums, bongos, percussion); Kara Pernice Coyne, Anne Pinkerton (background vocals).

Additional personnel: Anne Pinkerton, Kara Pernice Coyne.

Rolling Stone (p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[A]nother lovely little package, tossing in modest horns-and-strings accompaniment and mellow sweetness."
Spin (p.103) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "This time round, he offers swinging '60s horns, 'Bungalow Bill' bounce, and a chilling ballad....[A] stunning album..."
Spin (p.59) - Ranked #24 in Spin's "The 40 Best Albums of 2006" -- "[With] sun-dappled Beatles-isms, elegant arrangements, and lyrics whose doubt feels optimistic."
Q (p.147) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[They] now craft lushly orchestrated pop that nods inevitably to The Beach Boys....Sometimes elegiac -- especially on 'Automaton'..."
Magnet (p.104) - "[A] small injection of hope makes the album float and fly, repeatedly bull's-eyeing the balance of melancholy and brightness that characterizes Pernice's finest moments."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.106) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Pernice once again proves his gift for bringing together various strands of literate, melancholy and melodically rich music."