Brian Christinzio is BC Camplight. The Philly "group's" newest album is called Shortly After Takeoff and it's out tomorrow via Bella Union. The release is stunning in spots, and the kind of thing that proves how many surprises are still left in the old indie-pop form. That said, the surprising pleasures here are owed to the tuneful passages of this, and the wildly melodic, nearly Broadway-quality hooks Christinzio throws into the mix here.
"I Only Drink When I'm Drunk" is woozy goodness, Nilsson updated for a new century, while "Cemetery Lifestyle" is a big single, full of catchy bits. Elsewhere, "Back to Work" is elegant chamber pop that also echoes Pet Shop Boys a bit, even as the absolutely beautiful "Arm Around Your Sadness" seems the sort of thing that will earn comparisons to both Radiohead and East River Pipe. Now, I'm the sort of listener who would consider such a description to be reason to seek this out, as you should too.
And for all the parts here that reminded me of F.M. Cornog material with a bigger production budget, the epic "I Want To Be in the Mafia" is in another class altogether. Funny, sardonic and yet entirely warm, the tune is just a masterpiece. There are similarities on this one to portions of songs by Younghusband and Sparks, even, but the cut is the rarest of compositions, one which is funny and yet not too clever. The big, big swooning swells help make this song an instant classic, and while the rest of Shortly After Takeoff is very, very good, this is the one that floored me.
Shortly After Takeoff is out tomorrow via Bella Union.
More details on BC Camplight via the official Facebook page.
[Photo: Bella Union / BC Camplight]