Pop Levi

If Pop Levi's debut full-length, The Return to Form Black Magick Party, could be described as Marc Bolan meets Danielle Dax, then his 2008 follow-up, Never Never Love, could be aptly described as T. Rex colliding with Scritti Politti, washed down with a healthy dose of Led Zeppelin. Levi's got an uncanny sense of the pop hook and a good amount of sexy rock swagger -- taking basic riffs far beyond their most logical conclusions while deftly mixing stage-rock machismo with high-style electronic elements. He plays with rhythm, for one; often fooling the listener into thinking they've found the downbeat, only to add another element that shifts the "one" to somewhere unexpected. With a dub artist's talent for flying elements in and out of songs, Levi keeps even the most (seemingly) rote hooks terribly interesting. Never one to just hand a chorus to you, lock-stock-and-barrel, Levi teases unmercifully -- making the big payoffs all the more effective. Case in point, the title track, which establishes its groove in the sparsest way possible then brings a veritable rhythmic kitchen sink in -- just for the outro. Touches like this make Pop Levi's albums the kind that beg for on-cue pantomiming of every delicious part. His guitar work is worthy of vigorous tennis racket strumming as well -- Bolan-esque in its clever sparsity and Vaseline funkiness. Even the ballads ("Semi Babe," "Calling Me Down," "Fountain of Lies") aren't skimpy with the ear candy, and they seem to fit into Never Never Love's overall vibe much better than their counterparts on ...Black Magick Party. In fact, all of Never Never Love is a satisfying step forward for Pop Levi -- a congruent collection of tunes that temper an enjoyable excess of rhetoric with a workman-like adherence to properly serving a hook. ~ J. Scott McClintock, All Music Guide