Heavenly Beat - T a L E N T [CD]

If you come to John Pena's project Heavenly Beat expecting a certain reverb-heavy sound thanks to his membership in Beach Fossils, you might be surprised that he owes more to the Pet Shop Boys than to the Velvet Underground. His first album, Talent, has a lighter than air quality that’s pure dream pop with synths. Pena's voice is another soft addition to the mix; he never raises it above a whisper even when dishes out pure angst-y heartbreak. It's a reassuring sound, blending the organic with the machine generated topped off with some real, understated emotion. The album flows from start to finish in an almost unbroken mood of resigned melancholy, as Pena's voice quietly grapples with issues of faith, love, and his place in the world.