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What happens when an advertising writer-designer forsakes his computer keyboard for the kind found in a recording studio? In Todd Lerner's case, it's something like you'd expect: kind of self-conscious and not at all shy about touting itself. But that's about the worst that can be said about "If Right Now Played Guitar," a half-hour collection of 11 finely polished pop-rock tunes that showcase Lerner's ear for subtle melody, drier-than-wry sense of humor and exacting studio skills. At its best, the quirky-and-proud-of-it "Right Now" brings to mind Alex Chilton in his druggy phase, or maybe They Might Be Giants trying to tone down the zaniness. Whether or not you're enamored of the vibe, there's no denying that Lerner has a distinctive vision, and knows how to bring it off. Two things stand out most: First is the level of craftsmanship brought to the songs, which are spartanly arranged and delivered. Lerner plays all the instruments and does most of the singing. The silvery guitars and usually deadpan vocals are precisely multitracked, answering (and sometimes fighting) each other across channels. Beatles-esque horns, delivered electronically, flit in and out of the mix, while the keys provide accents or rhythms. Even more striking is the lyrical content, which has to rank as some of the most purposely self-aware material ever put to tape. In the topical "Song for Free," he comments on the tune itself as it's delivered, dropping lyrics like, "Here's the bridge I wrote for free/ To put into the song for you from me/ It's complimentary." That's before he mentions his Web site, and is quickly chastised for doing so by a female friend, who of course repeats the site's name again. In "I Quit," he details his reasons for doing just that, all the while mocking his choices through another vocal track. That kind of call-and-response analysis is used throughout the record, most effectively on the slightly indignant "Fa Fa Fa Fa," which mixes some nonsense babble, a nifty guitar hook and lines like "Go sell it to your priest/ Unload it somewhere else/ Cause no one's buying it here." Sold!
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