by Jason AnkenyListeners expecting a continuation of the Scud Mountain Boys' slow, grim alt-country sound will be surprised by the wholesale changes wrought on Overcome by Happiness -- Joe Pernice has gone pop, and the results are quite promising. Recorded in part with a ten-piece orchestra, the record is closer to chamber pop than roots rock, with the bright, sunny songs adorned in piano and horns; tracks like"Monkey Suit" and"Clear Spot" are instantly engaging, their sheer hummability alone suggesting not merely a radical creative reassessment but a total artistic rebirth.