Young songwriter Michael Goodman, at 22, shows his craft is far beyond his years on the debut full length What We Want. The great collection of Power-Pop gems shows off Goodman’s competence for recreating the magic of those early dB’s and Elvis Costello albums while speaking for a new generation. He boasts that the album is for “nervous young people, tossing and turning because we don’t know just what we want,” and while that’s not so far off, I feel that his appeal is much broader than he accounts for. The arrangements are simple but effective and well executed and the melodies are instantly memorable. The album is as fun as it is melancholic and contemplative, and in the midst of the great year for Power-Pop that was 2012, What We Want calls attention to itself by relying more on his song-writing chops than on the production style.

Fitting with the vintage nature of the music, the album feels split in the middle, like it was made to be played on vinyl. Though the second half doesn’t carry the same kind of punch the first half does, there are far more hits than misses throughout. Goodman’s voice is strong but unassuming, and often reminds me of Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche. Like Lerche, Goodman shows that he is able to absorb the lessons taught by his songwriting predecessors and make them his own; rather than regurgitating the music he loves, he embodies it and find his own voice through the artists he admires.

Opening track, Night Person, kicks off with muted guitars and punchy drums before letting way to two-part vocal harmonies that recall The Beatles and The Attractions. Other songs like Waiting, Another Man, and title track What We Want show the edge of more modern bands like The Strokes and The Kooks blended with his more pop-leaning songwriting. Closing track, Won’t, leaves the album on a folky-note, with strumming acoustic guitars and a big anthem chorus.

What We Want is available on Goodman’s Bandcamp and Soundcloud