It seems like Joe Pernice has been around forever. Fact is, though, Pernice first moseyed onto the scene in 1995 as a member of the Scud Mountain Boys, a moderately acclaimed alt-country troupe on Sub Pop famous for their break-up-sex anthem "Grudgefuck." After three LPs with the Boys, Joe took an artistic side-step into the world of classic pop (think the Beach Boys and the Byrds meet Elvis Costello), founding the Pernice Brothers. Their first LP, Overcome by Happiness, was met by mixed reviews, most somewhat critical of the album's inconsistency. Last year's superb The World Won't End silenced the earlier criticism, cutting out most of the flat spots from the debut, while retaining and multiplying its highs.
Between the two Pernice Brothers releases, however, Joe recorded a couple of side projects: Chappaquiddick Skyline and Big Tobacco. Big Tobacco, reissued by his Ashmont label in 2001, stands apart from the majority of side projects, mostly because it sounds nothing like one. The tunes, although originally slated to comprise the fourth Scud Mountain Boys LP, are all instantly reminiscent of the Pernice Brothers, except with a little less grandeur (i.e. no string arrangements), and an even more apparent moodiness.
One of the most welcome similarities is the production quality. Pernice's bandmate, Thom Monahan, produced Big Tobacco (with Joe's assistance), and shows a keen ear for classic pop, directing firm, clear rhythm lines and complementary guitar accompaniment. The simplicity in the background places all of the focus on Joe's voice (a great one), melodies and lyrics. This is also where the album either rises or falls.
The opener, "Prince Valium," is one of the stronger tracks on the disc, employing a very familiar four-chord progression and a song-structure a bit more dynamic than most on the album (like the tasteful bridge where the band cuts out, leaving only drums and six-string acoustic). The chorus is also a winner, both the peppy melody and Pernice's typically somber lyrics ("Because the cure is long in coming, and it never lasts so long/ Guess a little was just a little too much to ask you for/ Always knew you'd be going, but I did not know just when/ So help me, Lord, get me stoned again").
"Bum Leg" is another good one, spinning a convincing story of violence and despair ("Got a rattle in my chest, the way it sounds, like a barrel full of broken bottles rolling the through the night, hitting every fucking pothole in this town") over western-flavored orchestration that somehow avoids sounding clichéd. The opening to "Undertow" replaces the kit with kettle drums, which, with a Beatles-esque guitar progression, forms an odd but successful rhythm track. The strength of the song, as usual, comes with the lyrics: "Stuck in the undertow/ Stuck in a rut you dug all your own/ Too high to make it home and you fall/ Anywhere you're standing/ It's never going to be that easy again/ From now they always go down screaming/ Once you could hide it well, now it shows/ Everybody knows the bloom is off the rose." Even when nothing else goes right, Pernice's lyrics almost bail him out on their own. The man has a way with words.
If you've heard Joe Pernice, you know what you're getting with Big Tobacco-- lyrics-focused classic pop, delivered by a talented songwriter and wordsmith. The collection of tunes here may not be quite as punchy or seamless as those on The World Won't End, but they're still a solid, palatable bunch.
