Pop music is most certainly not created equal. There is a genuine art to making pop music that balances light-hearted melodies with substance and, sadly, but not surprisingly, most mainstream pop musicians fail at walking that line. Thankfully - there are handfuls of indie-pop bands that have produced albums brimming with the right blend of vivacity and thoughtfulness and Portland has been home to many of those musicians. The Dimes are a likeable brood of guys who play music that is gentle and infectious in its unassuming nature. A quick listen to their first full length album, The Silent Generation, may elicit an immediate comparison to Ben Gibbard’s style, but a little more time invested shows an album that unfolds into a world of characters and stories that are punctuated with tender vocals and soothing strums and strokes. Johnny Clay’s clever lyrics paint pictures of people that feel vaguely familiar and situations that seem absurd, yet strangely relatable. “New York 1930” and “Paul Kern Can’t Sleep” are like the musical equivalents of an oddball Salinger story complete with sepia-toned imagery and subtle humor. The Silent Generation is a charming blend of melodic musings and catchy harmonies that are easy to slip into and get comfortable.
-- Brigitte B. Zabak
