Elvis Perkins In Dearland (2009)

New Wax


The most effective songwriters are able to tap into a seemingly infinite well of emotion not easily accessed by the general population. It's a mystical gift that often comes packaged with a heavy burden of despair that artists of every ilk have battled and often succumb to. Sometimes loss breeds self-destruction. Sometimes it opens the floodgates of introspection and creativity. We've all heard the cliche: "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger." Elvis Perkins seems to embody this overused, yet fitting sentiment. In case you weren't already aware, Perkins' father was late actor Anthony Perkins of Psycho fame, who passed away due to complications related to the AIDS virus in 1992, and his mother was photographer Berry Bernson, who was killed aboard American Airlines Flight 11 during the September 11 attacks. In light of the turmoil in his personal life, Perkins' 2007 debut Ash Wednesday was understandably dominated by the themes of life and death. While Elvis Perkins In Dearland is, to a certain extent, an extension of those themes, Perkins is now backed by a full band and the album feels like a new entity rather than a sophomore effort from a singer/songwriter. Elvis Perkins In Dearland finds the already impressive songwriter backed by a slew of sounds: whistles, horns, organs, strings, etc. Set against bare-bones instrumentation, Perkins' lyrics play more melancholic, but backed by his new ensemble they ring more hopeful, even celebratory. Perkins' backing band has infused new life into his already heady words and their accompaniment pushes tracks like "Shampoo" and "Doomsday" to epic proportions. -- Capt. Obvious

Listen:
MP3: Elvis Perkins In Dearland - Doomsday
MP3: Elvis Perkins In Dearland - 1-2-3 Goodbye

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