"Future Automatic:" A
The Perfects
FU Records
Sounds like: An electronic Duran Duran
Baltimore’s own The Perfects recently released an infectiously good sophomore album. The band blends indie-rock flair with digitized sounds of synthesizers and vocoders. While this may cause purists to cry foul, it’s something you really have to listen to firsthand and appreciate in order to make a proper judgment. If the familiar pop and electronica beats lure you in, the surprising musical complexity will make you a devoted listener.
Founder and frontman Ric Peters started the band in 2005 with the help of producers Nic Hard (The Bravery) and Chris Vrenna (Nine Inch Nails). There’s a veritable blurring of genres in their latest production; the songs are light and danceable yet hard-edged and expressive — songs you can appreciate in more than one setting. The album is a toe-tapper, and “Come Down” and “End of Us” highlight the seamless fusion of impeccable vocals and electronica. “Darling Angel” and “When I Cared” have goth-rock underpinnings while “The Hidden” plays straight into indie-rock — no doubt influences from the aforementioned producers. Each of these songs are capable in their own right, and Peters truly is a master of musical versatility.
The album was leaked online earlier in the year. Instead of fighting or bringing about litigation, the band decided to run with it by making it a free download release — an admirably bold move for a band with such a humble following.
There really is no reason not to give it a listen as songs are catchy yet structurally intact, truly worthy of the amalgam of its influences.
"Descending Shadows:" B+
Pierced Arrows
Vice Records
Sounds like: Lo-fi Iggy Pop
Pierced Arrows is a living anachronism in their hometown of Portland, Ore. The three-member band can be seen as more of an off-shoot of the defunct Dead Moon, keeping alive the garage punk sounds and hair metal style of the ‘80s. As such, perhaps this is a band that can only be appreciated during live performances, as the album’s value is lost on today’s generation of sugary pop-rock.
Lead singer Fred Cole and bassist Toody Cole reprise their roles from Dead Moon along with drummer Kelly Halliburton. These old-timers are able to invoke classic rock ‘n’ roll panache, evident in songs like “This is the Day” and “Paranoia.” Cole’s shrieks and grunts are reminiscent of early AC/DC, only bolstered by the minimalistic rhythm and the erratic pacing in each song. Toody lends her vocals during grunge-laden songs like “Paranoia” and “This Time Around.” The album feels more like a rough cut — the band doesn’t try to win you over with its hot-blooded anthems, but rather with its sentimentality. Understanding the band’s roots will make you appreciate this production all the more. In their old age, these are the final dregs of their storied career.
It’s incredibly jarring to hear something that feels so out of place yet sounds so pure in its delivery, even when it is quite clear that musicality isn’t something the band strives for. For younger audiences, the album is more a tribute. Give this band a listen if you want something boldly fresh from a musical genre of yesteryear.
"Making Up A Changing Mind:" A
Pretty Lights
Pretty Lights Music
Sounds like: A jazzy Thievery Corporation
Derek Vincent Smith makes up the bulk of the electronic-funk project, Pretty Lights, famous for holding a consistently dedicated following and sampling from a number of genres. His latest EP, “Making up a Changing Mind,” is a six-track collaboration produced in the early months of this year. It fuses old-school hip-hop with electronic and dubstep, making the distinct genres seem mutually compatible. It is, quite simply, a masterpiece.
Trying to listen to the introductory tracks “Still Rockin’” and “I Can See It In Your Face” without instantly putting them on repeat is a challenge. These songs feature hip-hop beats laid over the disoriented trappings of upbeat electronic music — an interesting blend that is sure to have you hooked from the onset. The album then shifts gears, as if to offset these tracks; the following “Understand Me Now” and “Future Blind” are more electronic than hip-hop. The change is smooth, and with this odd yet charming composition, it is no hyperbole to say that this album perfects its execution and wastes not a single beat or sample.
Smith’s contribution to the rave scene in Colorado has already helped to secure his place in the underground music industry. His new album only proves to scads of devoted listeners that Pretty Lights is here to stay, and for good reason.
