Elvis Perkins In Dearland – Elvis Perkins In Dearland

Few artists can weave tragedy and heartbreak into gorgeous lyrics and melodies the way Elvis Perkins can. After losing his father to complications from the AIDS virus years ago and his mother in the September 11 disaster, it’s safe to say that he has shouldered more tragedy than most of us. Perkins’ solo album Ash Wednesday dealt mainly with these issues, and his first album with his backing band, the self-titled Elvis Perkins In Dearland, maintains a natural progression in both sound and overall feel. In contrast to the stripped-back nature of Perkins’ debut, In Dearland showcases vast instrumentation and an almost cheerful aura.The bar is set high with the lovely opening track ‘Shampoo’. Gentle guitar plucks and whistling make way for organ and Perkins’ warm vocals. Though his lyrics may be difficult to decipher, it doesn’t detract from their beauty: “yellow is the color of my true love's crossbow/yellow is the color of the sun/black is the color of a strangled rainbow/just the color of my lung/black is the color of my true love's arrow/just the color of a human's blood”. ‘Hey’ is an uncommonly upbeat song, the opening bars are somewhat reminiscent of Buddy Holly. In Dearland shines on the catchy, and dare I say, rollicking ‘I Heard Your Voice In Dresden’ with hooky guitar licks, accordion and more organ.Heavy-handed guitar, fuzzy vocals and horns give ‘I’ll Be Arriving’ a distinctively prog-rock quality, which oddly (but successfully) precedes the folky ‘Chains, Chains, Chains’. ‘Doomsday’ is the kind of song that Perkins is so good at; consider the title and you’d think it might be a bit of a downer. Yet it will have you tapping your foot in no time with its optimistic lyrics “I don’t let doomsday bother me/do you let it bother you”. The album ends on a mellow note with ‘How’s Forever Been Baby’, a slow melody with quite fitting album-ending lyrics: “and it was ‘let's fell our withering tree/it bloomed in the rushes and debris/I would bury it in ice for all of eternity to see‘”.Perkins was already touring with the In Dearland backing band when his debut album was released, so they’ve had plenty of time to hone their sound. What this album does so well is that even with a plethora of instruments resulting in an outstanding aural experience, Perkins’ vocals and songwriting are still front and center. Dylan comparisons, anyone (well, a less nasally one, anyway)? 81%Elvis Perkins In Dearland on MySpace