ACL Spotlight: Telekinesis

Back for the attack ya’ll! This time we’re featuring the lesser known, Telekinesis, one of our favorite little bands.  Read on for reasons you need to fall in love.

If you’re just hearing about Telekinesis, let me introduce you to Michael Benjamin Lerner, the man primary songwriter for the Seattle-based group, who’ve put out two solid records on Merge Records.  When I first heard the single “Coast of Carolina” off the self-titled first record, I couldn’t help but be blown away.  It begins with this gentle little harmony, one you can associate with a great deal of Northwest indie bands.  But, then it blasts off into a forceful power-pop jam, worthy of making it on any great driving mixtape.  The rest of the record is full of similar hits, occasionally relying upon the softer harmonies to carry the album to its end.

On his second outing, 12 Desperate Straight Lines, Lerner came off sounding a lot like early Brendan Benson (of Raconteurs fame), fusing pop melodies with carefully crafted indie rock.  You want hooks? This record has it. Looking for blissful songwriting? Yeah, it’s here. While you might not see Lerner’s music as something extraordinary, that’s perfectly okay.  He’s writing simple pop tracks clear of electronic blip diversion and indulgent solos; it’s just plain old good pop rock, and we all know those make for great shows.

Be sure to check out Telekinesis on the Google+ Stage, Saturday @ 11:45.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/coast-of-carolina.mp3]

Download: Telekinesis – Coast of Carolina [MP3]