Librarians With Hickeys are down to a duo, leaving it to Ray Carmen and Mike Crooker keeping power pop alive in Akron, Ohio. They are both multi-instrumentalists, so it wasn't a problem to make their new album How To Make Friends By Telephone sound like a band firing on all cylinders. Jangling guitars are king, closely followed by the vocal harmonies. They are proud to be retro, confident that quality songwrting and musicianship will give them a prominent place in the niche labelled "jangling pop".
Latching on the perennial themes like falling in love, heartbreak and roadtrips, the duo have managed to add a fresh layer of paint to melodies that sound familiar. It is trip to memory lane, but there a plenty of sights along the way to keep listeners entertained and in awe of their guides.