Sometimes the rhythms of life need a little help, as a certain commercial for antidepressants reminds us. This fall, there’s a sunburst of albums bright with melodic pop.
The Thrills, an Irish band so obsessed with the Beach Boys that they’ve gone native for spells with sojourns in California, are back with Let’s Bottle Bohemia, another set of brisk harmonies that offer sunny-day-at-the-beach epiphanies a bit further afield from James Joyce’s vision.
Englishman Robyn Hitchcock, legendary as the co-founder of the melting-punk Soft Boys, and then as a solo-album auteur of psychedelia, is fresh from his acting debut in Jonathan Demme’s Manchurian Candidate. Be alert for double-MacGuffins in his forthcoming CD, Spooked—plus more smooth, vaporous pop.
Feminist-in-retrospect Nancy Sinatra leaped directly into millennial hipster validation without any embarrassing polyester-denim career interludes. She’s been grabbing accolades all over this year, and her self-titled album includes chivalrous champion Morrissey plus other hip worthies. No doubt Nancy’s legendary Chairman of the Board paterfamilias advised her of the benefits of traveling in a musical pack.
The Thrills, Let’s Bottle Bohemia.Virgin; September 14.
Tegan and Sara, So Jealous. Vapor/Sanctuary; September 14.
Nancy Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra. Attack/Sanctuary; September 28.
Robyn Hitchcock, Spooked. Yep Roc; October 5.