Review: Telekinesis – Ad Infinitum

 Telekinesis
Ad Infinitum

Merge
Street: 09.18.15
Telekinesis = Miniature Tigers / Ra Ra Riot

By most accounts, Telekinesis—a.k.a. Michael Lerner—could be considered an underrated artist. He’s contributed to a Wes Anderson tribute album, worked with Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla and Spoon’s Jim Eno to produce two different Telekinesis albums, and Ad Infinitum is his fourth album for the respected label Merge. But, despite Lerner’s various accomplishments, he’s fairly unknown for someone who consistently creates aboveaverage power pop records. Ad Infinitum finds Lerner experimenting with vintage synths and keyboards to bring a new-wave edge to his power pop flair. Each song is predictable enough to hold the attention of the average listener but also brings enough strange elements (“Sleep In”’s high-pitched background vocals or the classical ambient style of “Ad Infinitum Pt. 1 “) to impress the avid listener looking for unusual touches. Ad Infinitum is another respectable album to add to Lerner’s already respectable body of work. –Justin Gallegos