Tragedy has always been a source of beautiful, hopeful art. In American folk music, several examples spring to mind. The Depression provided the subject matter for singers like Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. Later, the Vietnam-era inspired timeless musical contributions from Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and countless others.
With the turmoil of the last six years—9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq—there is perhaps no artist who embodies the sense of general hardship and upheaval like Elvis Perkins.
After his mother, the photographer Berry Berenson, died on one of the hijacked planes on 9/11, he started to assemble a record. The result is the breathtaking Ash Wednesday.
One of the most highly-anticipated debuts in recent years, Perkins does not disappoint. His songs tend to be fairly lengthy, poetic and slightly obscure explorations of lofty themes, and have thus garnered countless comparisons to Dylan and Leonard Cohen.
Likewise, his voice has a unusual, conversation-like tone that makes it immediately recognizable, and allows the lyrics to shine as the centerpiece of each track.
The record’s opening track, “While You Were Sleeping,” is an instant classic. From the first line, the melody grabs a hold of the listener’s imagination. Relentlessly catchy, Perkins continues on to paint an apocalyptic vision. Although a sense of finality is definitely present, the song comes across as deeply hopeful of what will replace our world.
According to Perkins, the album is arranged chronologically, both in the ideas and events depicted in each song, and in the order in which they were written. As a result, the tracks progress with a subtle, but appealing sense of logic.
One song flows into the next, building on the themes of previous tracks and adding new elements, both musically and lyrically, to the rich tapestry being woven.
For example, the album’s title track “Ash Wednesday,” is a slow, mournful ballad that shows off Perkins emotive voice. The orchestration is rich with lush strings supporting the gut-wrenching melody. At the same time, lyrically, images of sleep, the sky, loss, mothers and fathers, and those left behind—all images that have appeared early—come together in a moment of perfect harmony.
Finally, the album’s closing track, “Good Friday,” is build around a stripped-down piano arrangement. Overall, this gives the feeling that the album started from simplicity, rose to a complex crescendo, and now has returned to an older, wiser tranquility.
Ash Wednesday is the first great album of 2007. It signals the arrival of an exciting new artist who writes balanced, introspective, and deeply moving songs. Perkins is a breath of fresh air in an industry that too frequently values flashiness over substance and stellar songwriting.
