Overcome by Happiness

As the singer-guitarist for the defunct Scud Mountain Boys, Joe Pernice played slight, country-tinged lite-rock. Now he’s moved on to another overdone subgenre with Overcome by Happiness: string-laden retro-pop. This time, how- ever, the results are surprisingly strong. His new band’s elegant piano foundation, irony-free songwriting, and musical debt to Nick Drake and Brian Wilson make them sound like a Ben Folds Five for adults. A-