Joe Pernice - It Feels So Good When I Stop

by Fiona Hutchings

published: 8 / 10 / 2009

Joe Pernice - It Feels So Good When I Stop

Label: One Little Indian
Format: CD

intro

Innovative latest album from American singer-songwriter Joe Pernice, who has put together what he describes as a 'novel soundtrack' of cover songs to accompany his first work of fiction

I employ various methods when it comes to selecting which albums I would like to review. Most commonly the artist is either someone I know and like or someone I don't know but others have told me good things about or someone who compares themselves to someone I like. Very rarely does an album fall into the fourth category of 'innovative' but Joe Pernice has created such an album. Anyone familiar with Nick Hornby's book (and later the film of the same name starring John Cusack) 'High Fidelity' will be au fait with the idea of a book and music being so inextricably but subtly linked that they are impossible to separate. In the same vein comes this album, billed as a 'Novel Soundtrack'. According to Pernice himself, “Although the book is not explicitly about music, there are quite a few cover and fictional songs mentioned, so I thought it would be a cool idea for me to record some of those songs and release them, as a soundtrack to the novel.” When he says it like that it sounds so sensible and obvious. The album starts with one of three excerpts from the book followed by a very laid back 'Found A Little Baby'. There is a real 60's/70's vibe to most of the tracks with jangly guitars and multi tracked vocals featuring heavily. This kind of music always feels familiar so both covers and new tracks blend seamlessly together. 'Chevy Van' originally by Sammy Johns has an Eagles feel typifying this - instantly accessible and memorable. You will find yourself humming it days later. The idea of writing a book is pretty egotistical. The idea of releasing an album is pretty egotistical. The idea of doing both in tandem could be verging on grandiose. But this feels like an honest, but somewhat wry record. Pernice has taken this seriously but he has had fun too. The inclusion on my personal favourite, a very sinister 'Chim Chim Cheree' (Yes, that one from 'Mary Poppins') is proof of that.

Track Listing:-

1 Used to Like That Song
2 I Found a Little Baby
3 I Go to Pieces
4 I'm Your Puppet
5 Right Down There With Pat Boone
6 Soul and Fire
7 Chevy Van
8 Tell Me When It's Over
9 Chim Cheree
10 Black Smoke (No Pope)
11 That's How I Got to Memphis
12 Todd Rundgren's Fault
13 Hello It's Me

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