Sandro Perri’s work has been tagged with as many different labels as the man himself. Releasing music that could be characterized at various points as post-rock, folk, and ambient, his albums have always been interesting examples of making disparate influences appear seamless and uninterrupted. On his last record, the critically lauded Impossible Spaces, his unique blend of fractured electronic folk and tiered ambient construction made for a startlingly cohesive listening experience. It’s a testament to his abilities as a producer and musician that Perri is able to combine these rather incongruent sounds and come up with something that fits together as if it were made that way, without all the apparent inconsistency that by all rights should accompany music of this ilk. His clockwork arrangements defy convention even as they embrace their own influences. Churning out albums and remixes for labels like Constellation and DFA, it seems that if Perri isn’t busy working on new material he’s cranking out interesting reconstructions of other artists’ material.
Taking time from his recording schedule to talk about some of the records which he has been listening to lately, Perri’s contribution to our On Deck feature runs the gamut between the noise experiments of Nate Young, the experimental folk of Finnish band Kemialliset Ystavat, and the electronic vocoder swirls of Madalyn Merkey. Enjoy his picks in our latest installment of On Deck.
Plain and simple, sturdy as they come. I love this record, the one and only Ted Lucas ever made. He has a nice slow attack. His lyrics are generous and striking in their simplicity and he leaves a lot of room for you.
Nate Young – Regression Vol 1 / 2
File under “noise” but come back every once in a while to check on it. There is personality and life in these 2 records, esp Vol 2. And lots of surprises. The cruel irony of too much noise music is how it erases itself. Nate uses very few elements at a time, and makes it work beautifully. It’s scary but not fearful; both dark and hilarious. He’s also incredible live.
Madalyn Merkey – Scent
This is another instrumental record, without beats. She process her source material exclusively (I think) with a vocoder. It has a bit of a Lovely Music vibe to it, which I have a soft spot for. The cover art, as well, is excellent. I’m thankful to have come across this the one time this year that I flipped through the Wire. There is not much I can say about it other than if you’re looking for a quick thrill then you might not get it. But it’s pretty incredible music. Highly recommended!
Haruomi Hosono & Tadanori Yokoo – Cochin Moon
I love Harry Hosono’s work in general, I can easily connect. It’s curious and disciplined at the same time. His music wriggles right out of your hands when you think you know it. A great introduction to him (and other producers) is here: http://testpressing.org/2012/02/176-producers-series-16-harry-hosono/
Kemialliset Ystavat – Ulakkopalo
I just got this and another record by this group earlier this week, so I haven’t had a ton of time with them. But the work of Jan Anderzen (the leader of this Finnish group) is a really good companion to the Hosono record mentioned above. In that it wriggles around very easily, resisting genre. So far it is blowing my mind. True between-the-cracks music. Big thumb to my synth / bass player Mike Smith for tipping me to this.
Head over to Perri’s website for information concerning his past releases under his own name, as well as those under his Polmo Polpo and Glissandro 70 monikers. And while we may not have any solid news at the moment concerning his next LP, Perri has never been one to rest on his musical laurels, and so I’m sure news is forthcoming.
