"Chris Staples May be the year's most thrilling discovery"



Chris Staples, the one-man band known as Discover America, possesses one of
the most casually compelling voices heard in recent memory. Devoid of
self-conscious cool, snotty aggression and ostentatious distress, his voice
maintains its uncanny charm while his song structures shift from romantic
ballads to blues struts to dance-pop. His fully drawn characters, striking
smiles, satirical statements (see the pro-conformity chant "Adjust") and
emotional equations (the human heart as "one half wonder, one half true")
all ring as true as his perfectly pitched narrator tone. At a lean 10 tracks
and 38 minutes, Psychology still feels generous, thanks mostly to its
surplus of arresting images and memorable melodies.