Elvis Perkins
I Aubade
MIR
Mar 04, 2015
Web Exclusive
If 2009’s Elvis Perkins in Dearland was the sound of a folk artist striving for a bigger stage, I Aubade is his subsequent retreat. Back to the comfort of brittle acoustic canticles, Elvis Perkins has stripped down to the bare bones for album number three.
Long gone are the bulbous jaunts that made his previous LP so distinctive. In their place is a deflated, almost catatonic state of meandering laments, such as the laboring “The Passage of the Black Gene” and the immeasurable drag of “On Rotation Moses.”
It’s a tired and sluggish affair, barely mustering a pulse under Perkins’ mumbling half-assed drawl. Yes, a little comfort can be found in the porcelain strains of “& Eveline,” but for a man so deft of touch he should offer more than sub-standard Nick Drake-like fare. Time for Elvis Perkins to overhaul his ambition. (www.elvisperkinssound.net)
Author rating: 4.5/10
Average reader rating: 6/10
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Comments
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March 4th 2015
10:45am
I largely disagree with this review. This is a nice departure from the bombast of Dearland. One thing: IMO the over-use of his female collaborator is the most problematic of all his choices. I find her voice to be unbearably cloying. All Today for example is a beautiful song that becomes syrupy and saccharine heavy with her presence. I’m interested to know what other listeners think.
March 9th 2015
6:56am
I think Dearland is nearly flawless. This new offering suffers most from what Susan J describes as a cloying female voice that to my mind (and ears) changes this from a record one wants to listen to again and again, to one that is hard to listen to once. I would like to find a way to mute the background sound and listen to pure Elvis.
September 28th 2015
6:30am
I feel the reviewer has vastly underrated this album. Its a real gem. I first heard Dearland then Ash Wednesday, appreciating the diversity and growth between the two. This album is a very welcome edition to Perkin’s unique catalogue.