Telekinesis - Effluxion (2019) Hi-Res

Faint and without much variation, Telekinesis is for fans of straight-forward, utopian power pop. Michael Benjamin Lerner’s elementary, all-parts-self-made dimes are too easy for listeners that yearn to be wowed. Simple drum beats resurface, hooks come in and out, and it works for Telekinesis. It can be tough having expectations as a music obsessive; maybe people like us shouldn’t. Telekinesis is happy listening; fans of Lerner’s natural productions will be pleased with Effluxion, his fifth album in 10 years.

Effluxion has some Billy Joel (“How Do I Get Rid of Sunlight?”) and The Shins (“Cut the Quick”) weight over its 29-minute runtime. It’s fun music worthy of foot-tapping. “Effluxion” and “Set a Course” transition from acoustic guitar to a full-band explosion in similar fashion; “Running” could be country power pop; and “Feel It in Your Bones,” candidate for best track of the album, is a love story that comes close to space travel. “Fall down, fall in love, you have no sense of control,” Lerner sings over the fastest Effluxion rhythm.

But maybe it is time to give Lerner’s restive music (“I took a chance on the quiet life,” he sings on “Like Nothing”) more of my time. “Effluxion” is a Latin term for “flowing,” and Effluxion has an effortless vibe. Telekinesis seems content with not changing, but the surprising conclusion, “Out for Blood,” presents hope for the future.