Michael Benjamin Lerner has telekinesis, and magic
Last summer, Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) wrote a guest post on Stereogum about his newest, favoritest band — which is really just one super-talented guy named Michael Benjamin Lerner. Under the name Telekinesis, Lerner is making some of the most divinely catchy powerpop, reminding me of The Kinks, Nada Surf and The Shins kinda all jamming together in a community center somewhere. It’s energetic, and it feels great. Walla wrote:
“…His is pretty much my favorite record right now, even though it’s not a record yet. He plays and writes and records everything. I think I’ll be recording with him in September, on the 8 track, all ’70s style. That’s the idea anyway.”
Well that idea has now come to fruition with a full-length, Walla-produced debut in the can — recorded in a process Lerner calls “insanely fun.”
If the sublime stuff on their MySpace player, and this particular song “Tokyo,” is any indication, this could be one of the great records of 2009. WATCH:
All Of A Sudden – Telekinesis
Coast of Carolina (demo) – Telekinesis
See?!
Download the KEXP set here (5 songs!), and they also recorded a Kinks cover for the Hard To Find a Friend Holiday comp. Nice fit.
Telekinesis is playing a string of dates in February & March with Ra Ra Riot, including San Francisco’s Noise Pop! Hmmm…
Name: Heather Browne
On first listen Tokyo reminds me of a poppier (is that a word I don’t know) Wilco. I look forward to hearing more.
Jevan — January 7, 2009 @ 8:58 am