NW Noise Reviews
Perhapst - A Sonic Journey
MP3 of Caution
Disclaimer—I tend not to like side projects, and Perhapst, the new effort from The Decemberists’ drummer John Moen, is no exception. Though the results are often interesting, there is just something unfinished about most side projects—not to mention the faint tinge of vanity hanging around like an emo kid at a frat party.
I gave Perhapst a listen, however, because I absolutely love The Decemberists. “Yankee Bayonet” may be the most played song on my iPod in the last year. And a big part of why I like it, besides the ethereal and intellectually stimulating lyrics, is the instrumentation. So the pedigree was there. I threw on the headphones, fired up the laptop and embarked on a new chapter in my great un-American novel…
I made it through the album on the strength of the music. It moves and shimmers, it rises into heartbreaking swells, and every now and then, as on “Blue Year,” my favorite track, it takes a moment to kick in a little indelible guitar action. (Given that Stephen Malkmus played guitar on the album, I suspect he may be the culprit). Part of me wishes, though, that he might have brought in guests to help with the vocals as well. Sometimes Moen takes charge of a song, as he does on Aren’t You Glowing, and other times his distinctive voice distracts from the music beneath, which is unfailingly interesting.
Me, I’m just a kid at a party. I don’t know anyone, but the people seem interesting enough. I’ll stick around for a while…Though, at some point I’m apt to grab Stone Gossard’s “Bayleaf” and remind myself how a side project is done right: Shawn Smith guesting on vocals, Gossard playing the riffs he brought to his band’s party and saw kicked out…
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