Like heavy metal, power pop refuses to die, and the Gigolo Aunts, one of the genre’s keenest proponents, are still making records. The former Boston quartet (they’re now based in LA) follow up 1999’s glossy Minor Chords and Major Themes with an effervescent batch of crunchy rockers and willowy ballads. Originally begun as an acoustic project by a band whose members were exhausted after touring behind Minor Chords and Major Themes, Pacific Ocean Blues soon took on the added heft of electric guitars and walloping drums. The result is a bright and shiny album in which even the bitterest pill has a sugar coating.
The opening "Hello" is a revved-up pop nugget that leads with its hook. It segues smoothly into "Mr. Tomorrow," another creamy blast of unadulterated pop. The rest of the disc is packed with tuneful harmonies and well-crafted hooks, from the upbeat, horn-punctuated "Let Go!" to the yearning title track. There’s also the majestic "Lay Your Weary Body Down," a gentle number embellished with sweeping strings. It’s too bad that just as they decided to take some time off from touring, the Gigolo Aunts had to go and release one of the best albums of their career.