Pernice Brothers

Like the split second before muscles flex in the groaning strain of an arm-wrestling competition, the power reserved in this album is latent and it is immense. Vocals occasionally recall the Beatles’ slower tunes, and certain guitar riffs become doppelgangers for the Eagles’ laid-back grooves, but the sound manages also to stay distinct from these influential predecessors. The mellower tracks would fit well over a not-too-sappy movie montage, where you know the romantic characters will go through a seemingly insurmountable obstacle before reconciling in a whirlwind of emotions and embraces. If the lyrics don’t seem to stand out, it’s only because they have such a familiar quality—bypassing the ears and brain, and heading straight to the soul’s remembrance.