Upping the ante on nerd chic
Spectacled singer Dent May is an Adonis of the Cosby-sweater set. Hell-bent on resuscitating the oldies, the ukelele-toting troubadour evokes everything from classy '50s crooners to the quirked-up pop of Jens Lekman and Elvis Costello.He proves dorks really can be cool. May hips up the sweeping strings and interlocking vocal harmonies of doo-wop and '60s surf pop, ushering the disparate styles of the Lettermen, the Beach Boys, and Phil Spector into the post-everything age.
The songs are seriously silly. When he isn't kicking up a square dance ("You Can't Force a Dance Party") or lamenting lost love ("Girls on the Square"), May embraces the innate kitsch of his instrument, tearing exuberantly through cheeky tunes like "26 Miles" and "Alcoholic."
Dent is also a clever clown. May's ironic take on suburban angst offers a lighthearted indictment of middle-class America, as songs like "At the Academic Conference" and "College Town Boy" unabashedly poke fun at the "pains" of privilege.
Download our favorite single, watch a tux-loving video, check out May's MySpace, and order his album.
- Andrew Phillips
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