The first Pernice Brothers release since 2006’s “Live a Little’’ is a brisk, concise affair that finds Joe Pernice leaving behind (at least for now) the lush, orchestrated cohesion of past efforts under this band moniker. “Goodbye, Killer’’ is defined by a leaner, tougher sound, shaped by the muscular guitar work of James Walbourne, that finds issue in the tart word- (and food-) play of “Bechamel,’’ a rat-a-tat pace married to the momentary subway fancy (or incipient stalking) portrayed in “Jacqueline Susann,’’ the classic sound of “Something for You’’ and the Crazy Horse histrionics of “F***ing and Flowers.’’ But there’s also a country undercurrent to the album, on display in “We Love the Stage,’’ an ever-so-slightly tongue-in-cheek ode to the showman’s life, the explicit twanginess of “Newport News,’’ and in the sunny California country-rock vibe of the title track. As the album’s coda, “The End of Faith’’ adds a delicate, folky sound. With such stylistic diversity, and with Pernice’s word-smithing as intricate and brilliant as ever (even if occasionally coming across as too clever by half), the Pernice Brothers have once again delivered some of the most intelligent and irresistibly hooky pop music around. (Out now) STUART MUNRO
ESSENTIAL “Something for You’’
