VIER

Perfect Beings' Johannes Luley stated in a recent interview: "Take a break, put the headphones on and shut off your mobile phone for a couple of hours. It's good for the soul". Those unable to understand or to apply this rule in their lives may not realize the meaning of the presentation that follows and will definitely not conceive what kind of an album Vier really is.

For quite a long time now, progressive rock community deals with matters of existential self-identifications. I stand sorrowful and observe the vast majority of artists treating as "progressive" whatever music with a higher degree of technicality (as if the rest of musical world has no right to be skilled), repeatedly copying again and again all the icons of the past and eventually turning progressive music into another sterile and stiff artistic form, naturally at the expense of any genuinely innovative new voice. And while all these happen within the masterfully crafted prog microcosm, Los Angeles' Perfect Beings release their 3rd album as if they were always ready for it, with no fanfare and no illusions. More importantly, with no self-identification syndromes since the creative triplet of Johannes Luley (guitar, bass, keys, production), Ryan Hurtgen (Vocals, piano) and Jesse Nason (keyboards, piano) looks like it has completely skipped these issues.

In a cute cliché, we regard many nice albums as "trippy". What is this trip really and how is a spiritual journey with/through music signified? However one defines a journey or however often one uses that word to describe music, there are only very few albums that deserve to be treated as a Journey as Vier. Not because of its 72 minutes duration (divided into four 18 minute long compositions, each one covering a vinyl side) as we have seen many extra-long and completely pointless "journeys" of such type. What makes it a Journey is its unpredictable nature. Quoting William Blake: "Improvement makes straight roads but crooked roads without improvement are roads of genius". It is precisely this chaotic genius which is the source and the purpose of this album. During these 72 minutes every known musical norm seems to be ignored. There is not even one repeated part, no verses and choruses, not even one easy, catchy, accessible or expectable moment. Nothing to cling to, nothing to recollect or to refer, nothing to give the listener a sense of a moment's rest ? the listener or the band. On the other hand, this is not glass-cold or abstract music. It always sounds warm and familiar and it always evolves moving forward, totally indifferent of what lied before or of what will follow next. It is eventually music that rather defies Time or its products. On the contrary, as the geometrical shapes of the cover suggest, Vier feels like it is dedicated to the exploration of space. Like it is ever moving or completely lying still, Vier expands so much to the point it reaches the final borders of human expression. It is so broad that it can unavoidably turn only towards its own self. Ryan sings the lyric "Enter the center " many times during "Guedra". The quest for that center is one of the two key phrases of the album.

So, Perfect Beings righteously deserve to be characterized as "progressive" but beyond this, nothing else feels definite. Vier absorbs so many different sonic elements that it isn't safe or 100% certain to regard it as rock album. Each one of the 4 compositions/chapters seems like being constructed by different structural materials. "Guedra" and "Annunaki" deliver some rock sounds of course but "The golden arc" starts an open dialogue with Contemporary Music and " Vibrational" is mainly a new age/electronic creation. Let me put it other way, in no case Vier is influenced more by Yes for example than Tangerine Dream, Mike Oldfield, Stravinsky, world, jazz or fusion music. All these influences are expressed with such a composing and arranging freedom that evoke feelings of awe. A bunch of talented contributors add their own touch but I need to specifically mention Max Kaplan, as his saxophone makes a real difference each time it appears.

To fully experience Vier, the listener needs to dedicate his/her energy equally to its lyrical aspect. The included poetry may seem transparent, abstract or even surreal at first, but I sense that words desire to break the exact same barriers as music. Enigmatically mentioning mystical Moroccan dances, Lotus trees, ancient Mesopotamian gods, geometrical terms or the Powhatan native tribe, may seem puzzled or irrelevant but, as already said, Vier tries to find a Center beyond the thresholds of perception. Amidst that philosophical quest lies Western civilization's typical human being and the forming of a lifestyle that seems to be far away from nature and from our profound spiritual truths. Of course, as any great piece of art, this album won't provide us with easy answers. Actually, this is portrayed in the second key-phrase: "Mysteries, not answers". It seems like begging for even more questions. Be warned, no one here will answer for you, no one will think for you. You have to do it on your own and it's going to be a long and solitary Journey.

There is no end to all the things I could write about Vier. Words must give their way to silence though and music must take it from here. Perfect Beings have already performed a small miracle for anyone that cares to accept it and Vier seems to be an album that will choose its listeners and not the other way around. I don't even know how "good" this album is ? in terms of entertainment ? and it will take me months to unlock its secrets. I don't know how high it will be in my end of the year list. What I do know for sure is that, after listening to prog music for 27 years now, Vier is an album capable of renewing my faith in the possibilities of a truly innovative and revolutionary progressive rock and that it is a highlight for sophisticated music of the current century. For bold listeners only.

Originally posted in againstthesilence.com