All right, I'm writing about this band because I have a crush on the lead singer. But I think you will too.

Barnicle is fast, fun, and incredibly catchy; they seem like they'd be awesome live and don't lose a bit of energy on the recordings. If bands were people, Barnicle would be Weezer's girlfriend, and you'd totally approve.

Let me give a bit of personal context. Freshman year of college, I was standing outside my dorm with a couple homies: a girl I didn't know at the time ran up to us sobbing, with one fist in the air. She had a black, ripped Morrissey t-shirt on, tight jeans... the whole deal. In between her gasps I could make out her telling my friend that she'd just come back from a Morrissey concert and "oh my god oh my god I got this off his hand he touched me he touched me." She unclenched her fingers and, behold, a Band-Aid.

Gross, I know. But after hearing Take Me To Your Room and seeing that picture on the right I have something like the indie rock equivalent of that obsession; I need to go to a Barnicle show and stand up front and jump up and down, and if Karen Barnicle accidentally kicked me in the face I don't think I'd ever shave again.

Here's what Robin Umbley from Boston's rock magazine The Noise said about them, reprinted in full because I agree with every word:

I propose that Karen Barnicle replace all manufactured female pop stars. Radio should embrace her. All her songs are simply fun and catchy. She has an innate pop sensibility, her songs cover pop territory like desire and relationships, she has a fresh girly voice, and she has a great group of musicians working with her; Jamison Hodge adds some notable guitar work. She's genuinely exuberant and she sings with conviction -- possibly because she wrote everything on this CD. I just love the title track, Take Me To Your Room , with its breezy melody. Listening to this CD is like eating lemon sherbet on a July day: it's just yummy and refreshing. Barnicle also gets my vote for best CD cover of the year: the titles are painted on a female torso a la Goldie Hawn in the original Laugh In.

There really isn't a weak song on the album, but there are definitely high points. I'm So Cool is Barnicle's "This Is Why I'm Hot": a self-fulfilling prophecy thanks to the singer's confidence and conviction. In this case, even if it's ironic it's cool. What a rad paradox.

And to describe Crash My Shores , I'll just give you 3 pictures:

So this is for you Cars fans, for you indie boys and coffeeshop girls, for all of you who still sing into hairbrushes and dance around in your underwear and get speeding tickets when you drive to music like this. Let Iggy Pop have Peaches; I'm putting a poster of Karen Barnicle on my wall.

And, no kidding, she really does look like my best friend's girl.