Jesus H. Christ & the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse
(self-released)
JHC&t4HotA are a New York band whose cleverness extends well beyond their name (still funny after two full-lengths) and into their songs, which combine the dead-on working-week details and pop chops of Fountains of Wayne with the inspired silliness of an especially strong SNL skit. Their second album begins with "Liz the Hot Receptionist", who probably goes out for happy-hour margaritas with "Denise" and "Stacy's Mom." Despite documenting the ticky-tacky details of the character's life ("She met a guy in real estate / He put her name on his license plate"), singer Risa Mickenberg only occasionally sounds mean-spirited but never sounds condescending. The song, like the others on the outfit's second self-released album, is half comedy sketch and half anthropological study, as if Mickenberg is trying to figure out what it's like to be a bubble-brained receptionist or a local drunk ("Alcoholics in My Town") or a fall-back boyfriend ("Back Burner Guy") or the woman who recommended an Yma Sumac record ("Julie on the Fung Wah Bus").
What she knows is how to be an intelligent, professional woman in New York, good at her job but less so at relationships. Her frazzled demeanor-funniest when she's needlessly self-deprecating-is what makes her attractive and human: She's the Liz Lemon of indie pop. "I hope you're happy, but not happier than me," she sings on "I Hope You're Happy"; it's a funny line, but as Mickenberg rifles through the memories of a long-dead relationship, it becomes deeply sad. But not sadder than "I Miss Your Arm." "I'm Around" degenerates into a spoken-word bit about all the embarrassing answering-machine messages she leaves for a guy who's obviously not interested. It's a tired gag (and who has an answering machine anymore?), but she infuses it with a palpable desperation that's no less affecting for being predictable. Mickenberg's music is shot through with a touch of comedy that is shot through with a touch of tragedy that makes Happier Than Thou sound edgier and more substantial than your average joke-cracking band. And who doesn't love a surf-rock song about Googling yourself?
Standout Tracks: "Liz the Hot Receptionist," "Alcoholics in My Town" STEPHEN M. DEUSNER
