Carl Johns makes the kind of power pop that takes me back to a time I'm not sure ever existed. His Charlemagne project, now two albums old, cooks up music for a breezy summer drive, stuffed with wispy male/female harmonies, strummed guitars, and airily recorded drums. It evokes the indie rock of the mid-90s in hi-er fi, and the power pop of the post-punk era with modern amenities like more deeply nuanced synthesizer tones and high-quality production on a low budget.
Detour Allure rings with an abundance of sharp melodies and quick tempos, arranged with a minimum of fuss. Spare flourishes of synth and special effects guitar spice up the proceedings, offering shiny accents to sometimes workmanlike compositions. "Your Scars" trips along on a nice two-step country beat and features some unexpected chord changes for its wordless middle eight. It's followed by the album's finest track, "In the Fuselage", a weirdly catchy song that earns its place in your memory with an inventive melody delivered via mellow, introverted harmonies. "Fave Unknown" takes a crunchier route, riding fuzzy bass and buzzing keyboard hooks.
Though consistency of craft is one of Charlemagne's strengths, there are a few bits that don't work, like the unfortunate rhyming of "cherries," "very," "scary," and "berries" in the otherwise catchy "Pink & Silver" and the overly ponderous closer "Hello September", which ends the album with too much whimper and not enough bang. By and large, though, Charlemagne's sophomore effort is an enjoyable, if not exactly innovative, album, best served warm with a light breeze.
