Kevin Bronson on January 9th, 2013

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When Telekinesis first came onto my radar with “Coast of Carolina” in 2009, I just wanted to give my music players a big hug. Unadulterated guitar pop. Kid-next-door vocals. Songs with big heart. Two full-length albums for Merge did nothing to chill my warm-and-fuzzy, “Telekinesis!” and “12 Straight Desperate Lines” returning to the playlist whenever the adrenaline only a shot of melody can deliver was needed. It is with some trepidation, then, that we report that the new single from Seattle’s Benjamin Michael Lerner – Telekinesis’ mastermind – is not unadulterated guitar pop. “Ghosts and Creatures,” the first taste of “Dormarion” (due April 2) is oozy synth-pop. The backstory is that drummer-singer-songwriter Lerner had penned the album intending on recording it himself. He ended up convening with Spoon drummer Jim Eno in Austin to record the album. For devotees of Telekinesis’ first two albums, the shift in aesthetic might take some getting used to, but Lerner still has a knack for illuminating his own self-discovery in song. On the forthcoming Telekinesis tour, he’s be joined by a new live lineup featuring guitarist Erik Walters (the Globes) bassist Eric Elbogen (Say Hi) and keyboardist Rebecca Cole (Wild Flag, the Minders).

||| Stream: “Ghosts and Creatures”

||| Live: Telekinesis plays the Echo on April 25.

||| Previously: Live at the Echo; Popular With Me 2009.