Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Elvis Perkins in Dearland

(XL)

Record Review by Alex Pudlin

I bet Elvis Perkins really wants people to stop mentioning his parents in album reviews - sort of like how every article about Norah Jones used to mention that she was Ravi Shankar’s daughter. She’s since transcended that though. But in Perkins’ case, his entire debut album, Ash Wednesday, was extremely autobiographical, so it sort of had to be brought up. Now that I’ve gotten you curious, I may as well say it: his dad was Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates), who sadly died of AIDS many years ago [1992] and his mom was on one of the 9/11 flights. Sigh, I wish I didn’t have to talk about this, but since Perkins’ second album, and first with his new band Elvis Perkins in Dearland, isn’t too far removed from the stark depiction of loss and pain on Ash Wednesday, it’s necessary.  Tragedy like that isn’t something you just get over. But Perkins is not one to sit inside and weep. On Dearland, he finds jubilation in death, and uses the model of the New Orleans funeral march to add a thrilling element to his already earthy singer-songwriter sound.

Songs on Dearland vary from dirges in 3/4 (“Hours Last Stand”) to an upbeat polka chant about destruction (“Doomsday”) and most everything in between. Anchored by an upright bass and brushed drums, the rhythm section in Dearland give Perkins’ music a gravity that his debut album didn’t quite have. But it’s the horns that really steal the show and make the New Orleans funeral theme explicitly apparent throughout. “Send My Fond Regards to Lonelyville” is quaint and unobtrusive until a full Big Easy horn section blasts out, complete with rollicking tuba. This is the moment you realize that Perkins is playing his hand a bit differently this time around.

“I’ll Be Arriving” ups the intensity, beginning with a rocket ship growl that drifts into a Tom Waits-esque stomp with clanging guitars, bells, cymbals and organ. It’s such a convincing Waitsian vamp that you’re half expecting to hear Waits howl over it all. Not quite, but Perkins’ distorted vocals fit nearly as well. The return of N’awlins inspired trombone just makes the whole thing all the more delicious. Elsewhere, Perkins fuses Unforgettable Fire-era Bono with Music from Big Pink instrumentation  (“Shampoo”), adds layers of doo-wop and syncopated drums to his sound (“Chains, Chains, Chains”) and gets all Ob-la-di on “Doomsday.” Not all of these sounds work equally well together,  and Perkins’ does have a tendency to let his songs run-on a bit. Even the aforementioned “Lonelyville” returns from the brilliant funeral bridge with another few minutes that resemble the dull first half of the song. But I guess a New Orleans funeral, despite its upbeat groove, is still a funeral in the end.

Although Elvis Perkins in Dearland is never explicitly about his parents - or anyone else for that matter - the symbolism of the “jazz funeral” and bittersweet tributes to loss like “123 Goodbye” sends a poignant message to anyone who has suffered similarly: death should not kill the celebration of life.