HARLAN T. BOBO > Sucker

HARLAN T. BOBO

Sucker

(GONER)

[Rating: 3.5 stars]

Harlan T. Bobo’s Sucker, like something out of a Wes Anderson film, sets out with a nifty raison d’etre: “Songs mostly written while courting an adventurous woman.” It goes on to list a few envy-inducing destinations (Madagascar, Spain, Netherlands) as well as the singer’s home base, Memphis.

If the album is indeed the story of Bobo’s pursuit, opener “Sweet Life” is his ode to what (hopefully) will be: “If I had a love of my own she’d know life is sweet.” With a big soaring production and arrangement replete with cello and violins, the song could easily signify the end credits of a chick flick. But then comes “Hamster in a Cage,” with a guitar line lifted straight out of British invasion rock’n’roll in an itchy “1645” chord romp. There’s a Will Oldham-folksiness and self-reflexivity on “Selfish Life” that serves as a sort of bookend to “Sweet Life”: “Lord forgive me everything I’ve done/ Forgive me all I’ve left undone.”

“Perfect Day” picks up where Lou Reed’s song of the same name leaves off. Bobo’s take includes a barroom piano and a sassy old-time fiddle. Lines like “We’ll pretend you’re straight/We’ll pretend I’m straight” will keep you on your toes and then there’s the song’s strange hook to deal with: “You and I get to be phantoms from our deepest dreams.” Harlan changes gears with the punk romps “Bad Boyfriends” and “Energy.” It’s a nice curve ball from the polite and well-played indie folk/pop of the rest of Sucker. The songs are short; only one clocks in above three minutes, the five-minute “Drank.” It’s Harlan’s style to get right to the point, nail it and move on to the next. It’s a lovely way of doing business. After all, as Harlan’s liner note happily sums up, “The courtship was a success.”