The septuagenarian cult folk singer makes a welcome return 44 years after her transcendental debut in 1970.
LINDA PERHACS/ THE SOUL OF ALL NATURAL THINGS
In 1970, Linda Perhacs released her debut album, recorded with composer Leonard Rosenman. The two met during Rosenman’s visit to the dental clinic Perhacs was then working at. They got to talking and ending up working together on what was to become the now much-revered, but at the time largely ignored album, Parallelograms.
Due to the lack of promotional support from the label, the record quickly faded into obscurity and her musical career came to a screeching halt. Disillusioned, Perhacs decided to walk away from it all, retreating to the wilderness where she felt most at home. It wasn’t until some 30 years later when Parallelograms, also known today as “the legendary lost album of LA’s psychedelic folk scene” was eventually reissued by a New York-based independent label.
Given Perhacs’ obscure musical career, which has inadvertently achieved something akin to cult status over the decades, music aficionados everywhere, including contemporary artists such as Daft Punk, Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom, started to pay attention to her music, effectively prompting the dental hygienist-cum-solo artist to return to the spotlight. Signed to Sufjan Stevens’ Asthmatic Kitty label, Perhacs has finally released The Soul of All Natural Things, a follow-up to her debut after more than four decades of stasis. Inspired by her home in Topanga Canyon, California, the record brims with natural imagery and flower-power sensibility.
Evocative of this very nature-based essence are cuts such as the brooding title track, River of God, and Song of the Planets. The latter, in particular, finds Perhacs, alongside collaborators Ramona Gonzalez and Julia Holter, paying tribute to the peaceful universe, singing “Prayer filling all the universe/we are one, we are one/There is but one life, which is the very essence of the world/It is love that will open the doors/What will your answer be?” Then, the three women reunite on Prisms of Glass where they deliver an impressive choral performance that serves as one of the album’s highlights. Elsewhere, Immunity, When Things Are True Again and Intensity all show us how the spirit of the ’70s can harmoniously co-exist with the electronic components of the 21st century.
According to the album’s liner note, Perhacs states that “My soul is giving itself to the people; I want them to be helped, I want them to be lifted.” This is, indeed, the case with The Soul of All Natural Things. Described by Perhacs herself as “a conscious continuation of Parallelograms”, The Soul of All Natural Things succeeds in recapturing the elusive beauty of her debut as well as expanding on its delicate folk-psych sound. The songs on offer are intimately sublime, and her voice has remained organic and unaffected despite the passing of time (not to mention excellent additional vocals courtesy of Gonzalez and Holter). It is by far the most uplifting record to have emerged this year. n
THE PLAYLIST
New Mandarin/ Wake Up Call
According to the Facebook page of Thailand’s latest indie pop act New Mandarin, they describe themselves as “orientally outdated”. While we’re going to need some time to mull that over, New Mandarin’s debut single Wake Up Call goes down smoothly thanks to its delightful, universally likeable melody. Not a bad start from a fresh-faced act. Our only gripes, however, are the vocals that lack the much-needed dynamic range, and the lacklustre English lyrics which could definitely benefit from some honing.
Lana Del Rey/ Meet Me in the Pale Moonlight
Lana Del Rey’s upcoming album, Ultraviolence, won’t be out until May, but here we have a previously unreleased track, Meet Me in the Pale Moonlight, to tide us over until then. It recently (and seemingly randomly) surfaced online, and the upbeat, disco-influenced track finds Del Rey cooing her usual come-ons: “If you wanna be my little baby you can meet in the pale moonlight … I can be your one-time baby/I can be your dairy queen,” alongside funky guitar melodies. There’s no indication whether the song will be included on Ultraviolence as Del Rey has confirmed on her Twitter account that the album’s first single will be called West Coast.
The Antlers/ Palace
Brooklyn alternative rockers the Antlers are back, giving us a gorgeous first taste of their fourth album, Familiars. As with the band’s previous material, Palace thrives on an expansive soundscape and melancholic lyrics. “Then when heaven has a line around the corner/We shouldn’t have to wait around and hope to get in/If we can carpenter a home in our heart right now/And carve a palace from within,” croons frontman Peter Siblerman as the horns erupt and crash into the twink-ling piano line. The whole affair is classic Antlers, and we’re perfectly OK with that.
Tove Lo/ Not on Drugs
Having penned lyrics for Girls Aloud and Icona Pop, Swedish synth-pop upstart Tove Lo knows a thing or two about crafting a catchy tune. Following her first two singles, Habits and Out of Mind last year, Lo releases another Scandi-pop banger, Not on Drugs, taken from her Truth Serum EP. “Baby, don’t you see I’m not on drugs? I’m just in love,” she firmly insists during the infectious hook. There’s a dubstep influence, but it’s done in a subtle, light-handed way that it doesn’t come across as a cheap Skrillex knock-off. Bravo.
Faul & Wad Ad/ Changes
PNAU’s 2007 synth-pop anthem Baby is perhaps the cutest jam we ever had the pleasure of hearing. Now, up-and-coming French electronic duo Faul and Wad Ad has lifted the chorus from said tune and reworked it in an entirely new-fangled context. Changes rides on a summery groove built upon classic house elements — cascading piano chords and four-to-the-floor beats. The chorus (“Baby, I don’t know/Just why I love you so”) is as simple as it comes, and the sax riffs provide a nice, tropical touch. n
