'Telekinesis!', Telekinesis
Michael Benjamin Lerner understands that simplicity is paramount to good songwriting. That old mantra of "keep it simple, stupid" - heard everywhere from sports fields to boardrooms - obviously resonated with the Seattle songwriter. As a result, Telekinesis! is brilliant, shamelessly straightforward pop music.
Recorded with Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla, Lerner's debut twists from lo-fi bedroom crooning to crisp, studio power-pop not unlike the work of his Washington mates DCFC or The Thermals. Musically, Telekinesis! is luminous and catchy - you can pretty much sing along to 'Coast Of Carolina' by the second chorus.
Lyrically, it's more informed by its surroundings - Seattle, one of the wettest US cities with an unfortunate suicide problem. Lerner weaves together these two concepts, with bright, engaging songs about girls, insecurity, travelling and relationships. Best of all, unlike DCFC - who tend to slap on the saccharine - Telekinesis! is honest and simple without taking itself too seriously.
Release: Album
To Cure: Hypertension
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