Kellen Wenrich is self-deprecating to the extreme (see the album title, not to mention the first track, "Some Tune We All Already Know"). But there's no depreciating his talent and skill. Wenrich wrote, sang and played pretty much everything here. And he deserves full credit.

Kellen of Troy Vanity Project 2xLP (self-released)

I've sampled some of the press, and ELO keeps coming up. It's a fair comparison, though Wenrich's palette is a bit more into earth tones. These songs sound more dark than they are, and the lyrics are similarly sardonic. I wouldn't call these songs tongue-in-cheek, but there's always an undercurrent.

And that makes this a bit difficult to process. There is a grandiose sheen to some of these songs (in the finest Let It Bleed vein), but somehow the songs seem lesser and so much more all at once. Part of it is the way Wenrich builds his songs musically, and part of it is the classic production sound. There is a real early 70s vibe going on. And I can dig it.

But this is a thoroughly modern album, one that discusses our current political and societal disaster, among other things. Kellen of Troy might appear glib, but underneath the puns and other word (and music) play, there is an album that has plenty to say. So much to take in, and the injection is pure pleasure.

Jon Worley