Pernice Brothers - 'Yours, Mine and Ours' (One Little Indian) Released 04/08/03

This is getting annoying. How many bands have now released 'post-9/11' albums? The Pernice Brothers' (who really are brothers) head honcho Joe Pernice cites the historic tragedy of two years ago as the inspiration for this, their third record, which is all about "rediscovering the joy in things". From the sugar rush of opener The Weakest Shade Of Blue, this certainly seems to be true, and initial signs are that the duo have abandoned their penchant for understated melancholic alt.country for more uplifting pastures, like the not inconsiderable ground between Fountains Of Wayne and Teenage Fanclub. Like Norman Blake and Gerry Love, they know how to write a perfectly sweet trad-based acoustic ballad, but luckily, they also have a knack for making these tunes both affecting and entertaining. And they have emphatically not forgotten how to be miserable.

They can also tell stories. Boy, can they tell stories. Baby In Two is either a unique metaphor for a heart-wrenching break-up or, if taken literally, a harrowing letter to the mother of Siamese twins faced with the decision of separating them. "Ten years picking at a seam…", they murmur as you feel the tears welling up. As ever with the Pernice Brothers, it's difficult to know how much surface to take in, particularly as it is extremely easy to succumb to their bittersweet country-pop and just let the waves of effortless melody crash over you. And this is probably key to understanding Joe Pernice's genius; no matter how sad the tale, or how valid the metaphor, the tune is always king.

Not as cloying or crap as the Durstified What's Going On, nor as blatantly jingoistic as the legions of redneck American rock stars crowing over a war they provoked in the first place, Yours, Mine And Ours ranks amongst the few post-9/11 records to not suck. Oddly enough, these usually tend to be the ones that don't mention the war whatsoever. Either way, this album may well be the one to propel them from the upper echelons of alt.country into a much more profitable one. And if not, well, that's just more disappointment to inspire them. Here's to a win-win situation.