If you can imagine an alternate universe where
Velvet Crush
and
Emitt Rhodes
made an album together, you'll be glad to know someone paid that astral plane a visit and brought back
Effluxion
, the 2019 album from one-man pop ensemble
Telekinesis
(aka
Michael Benjamin Learner
according to his driver's license). While his previous effort, 2015's
Ad Infinitum
, found him diving into the deep end of vintage synth pop,
sounds like a return to a more organic form as
Learner
picks up his guitars, piano, and drumsticks and overdubs himself into a pretty impressive rock & roll combo. The songs on
range from the measured and atmospheric opener "Effluxion" to the full-on rock & roll of "A Place in the Sun" (an exercise in classic-style power pop where you can practically hear the skinny tie), with stops along the way for sunny acoustic numbers ("Running Like a River"), tricked-up sunshine pop ("How Do I Get Rid of Sunlight"), and nervy, uptempo post-punk ("Feel It in Your Bones"). (He also didn't entirely get the
experiment out of his system, as revealed on the synth-heavy final track "Out for Blood.") Like
,
is a talented songwriter who can seemingly generate great melodies and killer hooks at will, and has a voice to match. And like
, he's not afraid to put some muscle behind his music when the material calls for it, though he also has a healthy appreciation for dynamics. And unlike so many artists in the pop underground,
has a reasonably mature and thoughtful perspective on life and relationships, which means you can enjoy his music and still feel like a grown up, if that's something you enjoy.
isn't often cited as one of America's best and smartest pop acts, but
demonstrates
lives up to that billing, and this LP is a real treat for power pop obsessives and anyone who likes some melodies with their rock & roll. ~ Mark Deming