The Bridges

THE BRIDGES
"LIMITS OF THE SKY"
(Verve Forecast, 2008)


"One I Love"


When I first heard The Bridges (on a listening station at Virgin Megastore), I was immediately reminded of a sunshiny jangle-pop group from the early '90s called The Sundays. Then the slightly bouncier songwriting of The Beatles came to mind ... then the dreamy harmonies of The Mamas & The Papas were what I recalled next. Suffice to say, this North Carolina quintet (consisting of four siblings and their cousin) somehow manages to incorporate the best of all these groups and more.

The lyrics occasionally get a little introspective, but never enough to bring down the mood. The album's varying instrumentation (some songs are guitar-based, some are piano-centric) and Brittany Painter's delightfully airy vocals make it a joy to listen to. The album effortlessly bounds from one irresistibly buoyant song to another, but the whole time it avoids sounding repetitive or cloying ... an achievement the group owes in no small part to having power-pop veteran Matthew Sweet as the album's producer.

This album couldn't have had a better title, because the sky really is the limit for this band, provided they're able to keep up their boundless optimism and pretty sound for a second outing. Plus, I've gotta hand it to any band that makes me regret getting rid of a CD (The Sundays' "Reading, Writing & Arithmetic") that I haven't thought about at all for years.