Five years in the making, the fresh full-length from Pretty Voices is jam-packed with the venerable area rock quartet’s trademark tongue-in-cheeky humor, flippant vibes and blend of garage, jangle and power pop delivered in a fine 11-song package.
Jangular leads-off with the wry, local scene referential “Scenius Genius,” also a quasi-serious introduction to the band (“Will they write about our genius in the local ‘zine? / So many bands, so many choices, take us home tonight because, we are the Pretty Voices!”) The exaggerated vocal qualities of guitarist Nick St. Hilaire are on full display, ranging from snotty nasal sing-song verse-slinging to unruly brays with wildly jerking shifts in pitch and tone that are balanced by the gruffer and more straightforward tenor of bassist Roger Petersen, who bolsters with full-bodied harmonies or takes over lead in tracks like “Britney” (a girl who just won’t give it up) and “Radishes,” which seems like a glum post-break-up ode until you realize it’s really about a stalker. Other good time stand-outs in “Crackle Pop,” with its catchy jangling vinyl appreciation and Daddy Kool name-drop, and the roaring grind and insulting ‘tude of “Mean Song,” which reeks of Detroit.
Critics’ Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars.
The Pretty Voices perform with Gino & the Goons and Jacqui & Le Dropouts Sat., June 11, 10 p.m., at Emerald Bar in St. Petersburg. Jangular is currently available for purchase at cdbaby.com.
This article appears in Jun 9-16, 2016.