Track Listing
1. While You Were Sleeping
2. All the Night Without Love
3. May Day!
4. Moon Woman II
5. It's Only Me
6. Emile's Vietnam in the Sky
7. Ash Wednesday
8. Night & The Liquor, The
9. It's a Sad World After All
10. Sleep Sandwich
11. Good Friday
| Details | | Producer: | Ethan Gold | | Distributor: | Alternative Dis. Alliance | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Personnel: Elvis Perkins (vocals, guitar); Levi Person (bottleneck guitar); Antoine Silverman (fiddle); Brigham Brough (double bass); Gary Mallaber (drum); Janeen Rae Heller.
Elvis Perkins is the son of film star Anthony Perkins, who passed away from AIDS-related complications, and photographer Berry Berenson, who died in the September 11th attacks. If tragedy begets great art, Elvis Perkins certainly has plenty of real-life material for his tales of heartbreak and sorrow. On his first album, ASH WEDNESDAY, Perkins crafts brooding, reflective songs that manage to be heartrendingly sad yet still hopeful. Relying on softly strummed guitar chords over simple, understated arrangements, the music lends support to Perkins's earnest, fragile voice--a soft whisper that boils in intensity to a crackling falsetto. Coupled with surprisingly lush orchestral arrangements that move the album past folk towards flowery pop, ASH WEDNESDAY is a stunning debut from a rising young star.
Editorial Reviews
[F]or all the pain his voice expresses, Perkins also conveys a stoic serenity....On this impressive debut album, he really does make it hurt so good.
No Depression
4 stars out of 5 -- Perkins conjures a rare magic, Sparse, melancholic but always human...
Uncut
His lilting compositions possess a lyrical grace that recalls Elliott Smith, or even Dylan... -- Grade: B+
Entertainment Weekly
3.5 stars out of 5 -- [I]t takes a melancholic turn midway through, a the title and penultimate tracks swell with velvety strings, elegizing a tragic skyline.
Spin
3.5 stars out of 5 -- 'While You Were Sleeping' has a trancelike feel and chilling lyrics....'May Day!' sounds like a lost Neutral Milk Hotel hoedown.
Rolling Stone
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