By MAX ASAYESH-BROWN, St. Petersburg High
Grade: *****, 5 out of 5 asterisks

Jonathan Coulton’s eighth studio album offers 18 songs of fluctuating lengths and sounds, each one crafted with the diversely unmistakable genius of a true virtuoso.

The music is immediately vivacious and spunky, and Coulton not only establishes a profile for his music but also for himself. It is abstract, but between the first peppy ska-influenced track and the sixth one of a simplistic nature that would make Blink-182 proud, I found myself picturing a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed dude playing 11 instruments at once.

It would not be a stretch to say that you could have told me these songs were by different artists and I would have initially believed you (the album’s three collaborations withstanding). Coulton earns bragging rights for this melange of tones, including a song completely in French and one in which Sara Quin takes the wheel for vocals, incredibly in her element.

Picking out the songs that shine in particular would be difficult not only because of the notably large number but also because of the excellence of each. Perhaps the brightest gem in the geek-hero’s arsenal is Alone at Home. The song is cute, even if you’re not listening to the lyrics; it is also disappointingly short in length. I played it on Spotify a couple of times before moving on and was especially annoyed when Doc Pemberton interrupted my listening with his irksome two cents. Back to Quin’s excellence, Still Alive is also one of the superior numbers that left a deeper impression than its companions. It’s not a die-hard purist’s delight, as it features no noticeable talent of Coulton’s, but the technical constituents are in place, such as the candied lyrics (“There’s no sense crying over every mistake / You just keep on trying ’til you run out of cake”).

The songs of Artificial Heart reach their common goal — making listeners smile until it seems their faces will cement. It’s the perfect prescription for the slightest symptom of depression.