DAN BRYK - LOVERS LEAP (review)

Dan Bryk has a lot on his mind. Whereas most singer-songwriters are increasingly writing down to some template of universal melodic sympathy, Bryk more precisely dictates one man's often-humorous, always-cutting bouts with individual life experiences. Sounding like some marriage of the Smoking Popes' inspired mopery and They Might Be Giants' overexposed humility--as read by either Joe Jackson or Ben Folds Five, depending on your mood--Bryk's songs are bits of shimmering head magic intended for the hyper-aware set.

There's the Apple II ode "Mark Turmell" ("the coolest programmer in the entire fucking world") that pits the singer against his own teenage idealism in the new age of silicon escapism. "I could modem the other geeks", "Bryk howls, "and they could modem me back!" "BBW" sings the praises of the chunky girl in a way Sir Mix-A-Lot may never have thought to: "And when I'm ashamed of my weightm filling with pity and self-hate", Bryk croons, "she plants a kiss upon my lips and runs her hands along my hips."

It's not all tongues and cheeks, though. On "Forgiven", Bryk even pours into a sweet falsetto for a heartbreaking solo piano love song, offering, "there's nothing you can say and nothing I can mean." Geek Love, Indeed.

--Billy Manes