Dan Bryk, Lover’s Leap (Scratchie Records)

His fans include Ben Folds Five, the eels, Ron Sexsmith, Barenaked Ladies, and Fountains of Wayne. He is a Canadian, who unashamedly embraces old school pop in the mode of Randy Newman and Burt Bacharach. And with songs about how he loves chubby girls and wishes he were a computer programmer, Dan Bryk is, at the very least, an original. He also wins major points for self-deprecating humor. Musically, Dan skits from new wave power pop to piano ballads, singing in an unrestrained howl that threatens to make this more of a comedy album than anything else. But Lover's Leap has moments of prettiness and seriousness, too. One of his songs, "Fingers," is about a piano player who inspired Dan as a child, but then tried to molest him.

While he can rarely resist the temptation to go for a laugh, Dan is an understated joker, and like Andy Kaufman, he walks a fine line between making you grin and making you uncomfortable.

-Dimitri