Michael Abernethy - The Homegrown Snob

Power-pop isn’t a genre that gets a lot of my attention but every once in a while, I need the sugary fix that only power chords, three-part harmonies and ’70s AM radio can provide.

You can get your fix with Brendan Benson’s new album, My Old, Familiar Friend.

Benson was last seen as Jack White’s right-hand man in the Raconteurs’ more blues-influenced power pop. But the Detroit native has a solo catalogue of killer pop tunes ripe for the picking if anyone’s paying attention. 2005’s The Alternative to Love boasted an opening salvo of awesome hooks and even better arrangements, but fell flat toward the end. This one sustains a pilfered groove for the entirety of its 40 minutes.

Best of all is the arse-kicking opening track, “A Whole Lot Better,” which (finally!) resurrects the chirpy sounding farfisa organ most famously used on Elvis Costello’s classic This Year’s Model. But after that, the record shifts from twitchy paranoia (”Feel Like Taking You Home”) to light ’60s pop (”Garbage Day”) to ELO/Cheap Trick/Wings-isms (”Poised and Ready”) and always stays catchy as the ebola virus.

If you’re a fan of Beatles-esque pop, early Weezer or breezy, carefree pop-rock, you’ll probably dig Brendan Benson.

Here’s a clip of him performing “A Whole Lot Better” on Letterman a few weeks back. Unfortunately, the picture and sound are out-of-sync, but the performance as a whole is invigorating. Enjoy!

And, for a peek at his back catalogue, here’s the sublime “Cold Hands, Warm Heart” from 2005’s Alternative to Love:

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