Ash Wednesday (Dig)

Elvis Perkins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 20, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Xl Recordings
• ASIN: B000M06KBQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,026 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

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. The Night & The Liquor

9. It's A Sad World After All

10. Sleep Sandwich

11. Good Friday

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

His smart and likable songs might be crammed with writerly details, but it's Elvis Perkins's voice that you notice and cling to, especially the way he pulls at the syllables. It's difficult not to term his music "dreamy" and this low-key, assured, and excellent debut recalls David Gray (if Gray were a lot less Hallmark-y). Perkins matches the crooning, knowing delivery and half-ironic lyrics of Rufus Wainwright with the visionary vocal gymnastics and love of obscure embellishments (circus/ marching band music plus singing saw, on the first song alone) of Jeff Mangum--the Neutral Milk Hotel singer who's been the influence du jour for a few years now. Perkins's worldview would seem to be revealed in the song title "It's a Sad World After All." But these aren't cry-baby numbers, and Perkins isn't going for the title of emo prince; he doesn't wear his eyeliner big and deep enough to be seen in the last row of the stadium. The songs are folky, pretty, and character-driven: like some wonderful, imagined collaboration between Donovan and Leonard Cohen. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

He combines emotional intimacy with a warm-hearted studio sound that recalls Nick Drake and Astral Week-era Van Morrison. Perkins deliberately circumvented the digital route, making demos at home before gathering a small group of fellow players and friends to cut these tracks to analog tape in a Burbank studio and at Victorian house in L.A. They helped Perkins flesh out material in which he transforms the at-times extraordinary circumstances of his personal life into compelling, dream-like songs with lyrics that teeter between the specific and the surreal. As Perkins became more visible with his three-piece ban bassist Brigham Brough, keyboardist/guitarist Wyndham Boylan-Garnett, and drummer Nicholas Kinsey, known collectively as Elvis Perkins in Dearland- his reputation has grown, along with the size of his audience. The enthusiasm of online bloggers helped. After seeing him at the Rockwood Music Hall On Manhattan's Lower East Side, The folks at Stereougum declared, 'We were sold on the spot- fuss-worthy folkies just don't come easy...Double bass, harmonica and strings color these lyrical laments, but the man's easy melodicism is the real charm. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Debut, April 7, 2007

By 

warzoo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ash Wednesday (Dig) (Audio CD)

It seems impossible for me to come up with one negative thing to say about this album. It is fantastic. I bought it basically on a whim, not knowing who he was aside from a brief interview I read, not hearing but a small clip of his music. I do this sort of thing all the time with varying degrees of success; but sometimes you just get lucky. For me, this isn't just a good cd that I will enjoy from time to time, but rather the kind I will be listening to non-stop for a good couple of months. The melodies are beautiful and the lyrics are intelligent. Though the themes are heavy at times, this is not a bleak album.

I hate to compare artists but the Donovan meets Cohen comparison is pretty spot-on with a little Rufus Wainwright and Nick Drake tossed in. But rather than comparing him to David Gray (as the Amazon review did), I would much sooner put him in the Badly Drawn Boy category. Above all though, he is a unique voice and has created a stunning debut album. I would recommend Ash Wednesday to anyone who seeks out great music.

Here's to hoping Elvis Perkins will be making great music for years to come.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, touching, inspiring music, May 7, 2007

By 

Connie L. Shaw (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ash Wednesday (Dig) (Audio CD)

This is the most moving music I've heard in a very long time. Brilliant songwriting, heartfelt singing, interesting instrumentation. A feeling of wonder and even joy shines through these songs, despite the underlying sadness. This is an unbeatable combination that engages my deepest feelings. I can't wait for the next Elvis Perkins cd.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, Elvis..., March 23, 2007

By 

Jessica L. Keefer (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ash Wednesday (Dig) (Audio CD)

It's hard for me to come up with any words other than "amazing" to describe Elvis Perkins' new release, Ash Wednesday . When I first got my copy, I had to listen to it in it's entirety 3 times in a row. The first time I just listened to the music and how each song flowed together. The second time I payed special attention to the lyrics. The third time was simply because I was smitten and wanted to continue to feel all the feelings it left me with. It takes a special talent to make you feel heartbroken and hopeful all at once. And actually, I have to thank him for that. The subject matter of some of his songs is so deep, it would be easy to turn that into depressing. Instead, there were times amidst the darkness that I felt joyful. Bravo.