By Chad Taylor
soundcheck@dmcityview.com

D. Bess

‘Man vs. Bear’

Independent

The first three tracks of “Man vs. Bear” make for a gorgeous introduction to this solo album from Dave Bess, front man for Iowa City-based Public Property. This is Bess’ solo debut and the worst that can be said about it is a refrain common to debut albums — a lot of it kind of sounds the same. However, when that sameness is all REALLY GOOD, you don’t tend to mind so much. At his best, Bess is instantly captivating, and here he’s frequently at his best. The album does, however, come with a notable blemish: The five “Man vs. Bear” vignettes sprinkled throughout the album — while funny on their own — have the effect of sucking the life out of the room every time the music stops to switch to one. But they certainly shouldn’t stop you from grooving to this nifty little one-man act. CV

(Public Property plays People’s Court on Saturday, April 21. Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets are $10.)

Dylan Sires

‘Long Over’

Independent

Do you like ’80s pop? I’m talking about the joyful, heart-throb-ish, “recurring roles on General Hospital” Rick Springfield/Corey Hart kind of ’80s pop here. The stuff that, while it may not go down in history as genre defining, never ceases to make you tap your feet, and probably makes your girlfriend want to screw the lead singer. If there’s a little corner in your heart for that kind of jam, “Long Over” may just get the job done for you. Sires’ sound is a delightful mash-up: Beatles-esque harmonies, rhythm syncopation ala Modest Mouse, and guitars that hail from all over. Yes, if your normal bill of goods is something harder and faster, Sires’ pop sensibilities will come off as milquetoast. But variety is the spice of life, folks. And throughout most of “Long Over,” life is pretty good. CV

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