Telekinesis! refuses to be tied down. It starts out slow with “Rust,” which is layered and lovely. It is a wistful snapshot; of his heart, Michael Benjamin Lerner (who is Telekinesis) sings, “It pumps something that I could not call blood/ and why’d it have to stop when you said love?” But by the time the second track, “Coast of Carolina,” really gets going, you’re somehow fully prepared for the unapologetically exciting, foot-tapping, larger-than-life sound it throws at you. At times reminiscent of early Rogue Wave (think “Publish My Love” off of Descended Like Vultures, in particular), this album is both lively and heartfelt, carefree and melancholy. Its tracks manage to be catchy without being completely mindless.
Lerner evokes Ben Gibbard (and the first track, “Rust,” just plain sounds like Death Cab for Cutie, stark and matter-of-fact), as well as Zach Rogue/Rogue Wave, Ben Lee and Jim James/My Morning Jacket. Emulating these other musicians imbues Telekinesis! with a sense of familiarity that is not altogether unwelcome, but it is evident that Lerner’s musical chops are not being fully developed on this record.
All right, so imitation is the highest form of flattery, but what can Lerner himself bring to the table? Glimpses of Lerner’s own prowess are available on tracks such as “Foreign Room,” which will most likely have you on your feet whether you like it or not (this one would be fabulous live).
Telekinesis! does not achieve overall greatness. Many of the tracks suffer from been-there-done-that syndrome, sounding too much like each other and too much like other songs we’ve already heard from different artists. But the album is short and sweet, and despite its shortcomings, stays with you after you’ve shut it off. Telekinesis! acts as a primer of sorts, giving us a taste of what Lerner is capable of. He has yet to set himself apart, but when he does, he’ll leave no one behind.
