After The Swastika EP gave vent to the sort of folksy humour that can grate in his live performances, Bern’s caustic observation, musical agility and literate insights take hold on this full-length album. The son of holocaust survivors, Bern delights in sarcasm, searing irony and dark, bitter truths. Never afraid to go against the grain (his band’s full name is International Jewish Banking Conspiracy), he often recalls Costello at his early, molten peak. But with the creepy, obsessive epic “Closer To You”, the soaring “Fly Away” and the wounded grandeur of “Superman”, an impassioned original voice makes its indelible mark.
Advertisement