Perry Serpa and his band the
Sharp Things craft a grandiose pop vibe -- part
Scott Walker, part
Elvis Costello -- on their debut,
Here Comes the Sharp Things. Like
Walker, Serpa's vocals are deep and grandiose, and his songwriting ranges from the
Dylanesque "Boy's Club," to the straight-out-of-the-
Bacharach-songbook "Vacationing." Serpa's influences make him the perfect American counterpart to Neil Hannon of England's
the Divine Comedy, and the
Sharp Things debut plays nicely as a companion to
the Divine Comedy's Promenade. Less dark than
Mercury Rev, less unhinged than
the Flaming Lips, the
Sharp Things' straightforward bombast sounds strange when compared to their contemporaries, but this record would have gone over big in the late '60s -- remember,
Scott Walker's fan club at one point had more members than
the Beatles' did. Still, beautifully arranged pop-folk, like the soaring,
Bowie-esque "Lies About You and I," is timeless, and true fans of the genre will find this obscure gem and simply wear their copy out by playing it constantly. ~ Charles Spano