Elvis Perkins – I Aubade

Elvis Perkins
I Aubade
(Mir Image Reproduction, LLC)

It’s been six years since Elvis Perkins released an album, but his new release, I Aubade, is something of a departure from his previous work thanks to its moody, raw, stripped-down, DIY sound.

It begins with a dreamy “On Rotation Moses,” which is something of an offbeat poetic soundscape, representing the mood of the album well. The songs are personal and Perkins has an ability to emote feeling while creating a slightly off-beat feeling like a beautiful song that hinges on the verge of becoming a nightmare. Songs like “My Kind” and “I Came for Fire” are great examples, with their downbeats juxtaposed with ethereal singing. “It’s Now Or Never Loves,” “& Eveline,” and “Hogus Pogus” are more upbeat highlights, which represent something of an eye of a beautiful yet dispirited hurricane of an album. The album closes much like it opens with a mystifying sound-montage-turned-song titled “Wheel In the Morning.”

This is not the type of album that would appeal to the masses, but that has never seemed to concern Perkins, who’s always followed the beat of his own upright bass player. I Aubade is a worthy album, albeit one that feels at times uncomfortable emotionally like looking back on a gorgeous memory that’s become clouded and somber.