Venice
Spin Art (Vanguard)

Back in the late '60s, manic bug-eyed comedian Marty Feldman concocted a brilliant sketch concerning the antics of identical cousins, who had the lamentable quality of being able to feel only what the other cousin was experiencing.  I'm not even sure why that's worth mentioning in relation to the two sets of brothers/cousins who make up the wildly talented vocal pop aggregation Venice, but I'll bet there's a connection somewhere.

If sibling harmonies are best, then the melodicism of Venice's angelic Lennon brothers, Michael and Kipp, and Pat and Mark, progeny of two of Lawrence Welk's singing Lennon Sisters, takes that old saw to a brand new level of understanding.  It's no wonder that David Crosby cited these guys as the best vocal harmonists working today back when their first album was released in 1997.

Spin Art follows in the footsteps of Venice's debut, with a wealth of sterling pop material, frothy though it may be, layered and textured with the Lennons' phenomenol and hair-raising vocal gymnastics.  Even when the brothers tell a sad tale, as in the drifting love song "Garden Wall," there is still an underlying joy that cannot be hidden under a pile of minor chords.  The Lennons play a great many of the instruments here, relying on a handful of session players to round out the band, as Michael produces with a naturally sympathetic ear to the nuances of the vocal interplay.  The brothers write in this genre so well, it's hard to understand why they felt the need to include the relatively superfluous "Landslide," although they do a decent job on the Fleetwood Mac middle period chestnut.

It is interesting that Venice has chosen for its sophomore title and attending artwork the carnival idea of spin art, where paint is dropped on paper that is revolving rapidly on a turntable, resulting in an accidental painting.  It is that idea of art as an accident that seems incongruous on Venice's album, where every note and instrument and word seems deliberate and considered.  While Venice's brand of smooth pop may be too light for some pop fans who want something a little edgier, Spin Art is still an impressive achievement for the sibling quartet.