PERFECT

Every once in a while a band captures your attention simply by being ridiculously original which is something not so common in the retro worshipping genre of progressive rock these days. While many a band seems to be bowing down to the altar of Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Pink Floyd or Van Der Graaf Generator, there were so many bands from the golden years of prog that got totally ignored yet developed total unique styles of prog that haven't really found any modern day interpretations. Well this band simply named PERFECT from Akron, Ohio looked homebound towards the fertile Eastern and Midwestern regions of the United States for its inspiration rather than peer over the pond to the British and European scenes.

While starting out in 2017 as Perfect Girl, the band divorced the Girl and became simply PERFECT! After starting out more in the realms of funk, rock and punk, the once angsty trio moved on to the more angular workouts of prog rock once it expanded its lineup. This self-titled debut hit the scene in August 2022 and takes its influences from the more bold, daring and adventurous (US)American prog bands of the 70s, namely Yezda Urfa, Pentwater, Mirthrandir, McLuhan and Happy The Man. This debut album features PERFECT in full prog form with knotty complex compositions that combine the angular knottiness of avant-prog along with the virtuosity of jazz-fusion and symphonic prog accompanied by dreamy atmospheres and occasional bantering heavy rock guitar.

All i can say is wow! This was love at first listen and easily made my top 10 of 2022 with a single listen. Second time proves even a better sustaining wow factor. This is the kind of prog i totally love! Just melodic enough for you to sink your teeth into something, PERFECT is a masterful act in juggling various stylistic approaches along with hairpin turns, adventurous musical gymnastics and a keen sense of keeping things both technical and psychedelic simultaneously. Just imagine the finger breaking dexterity of Yezda Urfa's "Boris" along with the suave pacified chill factor of Happy The Man's "Crafty Hands." Add to that a jazz section reminiscent of Chicago based McLuan with a sense of compositional fortitude in the vein of The Muffins. Add a bit of Pentwater's masterfully melodies and hard rock and you found your PERFECT band! And don't forget a big of King Crimson inspired Polyphony either.

Despite the lame band name and rather uninspired album cover art that reminds of Rush's "Hold Your Fire," this is not an 80s synthpop wannabe album in the least bit. This collection of five tracks sticks to a classic album's playing time of under 40 minutes (35 to be exact) and displays a rollercoaster ride of ideas crammed into every musical motif and creative cadence. The band at this point features six members and although Ian Palmerton provides vocals, a large chunk of the musical real estate is dedicated to instrumental mind-blowing craziness ranging from jagged chunky riff-fueled time signature-rich processions to spaced out trippy excursions into Krautrock inspired spaciness graced with the occasional nods to Canterbury jazz warmth and King Crimson frenzied guitar freakery.

Despite all the liberties taken on this one, there's always an underlying melodic structure that the band simply improvises around and at times the band brings other USA acts to mind such as Birds And Buildings, The Mars Volta or Thinking Plague. Yeah, these proggers really deliver the PERFECT eclecticism for my tastes in modern prog. The music may be a bit alienating at first and only hardened proggers will instantly take to this musical madness. Others will need a bit of time to acclimate. Although the band is much more energetic and jazz oriented, the compositions at times really remind me of Kayo Dot's early albums in many ways. Crazy dreamy avant-prog fueled chamber jazz rock fusion that flirt with going metal but never really do. Easy to digest grooves that once established take extreme liberties with crazy contrapuntal melodic stack ups adding some spice.

All in all this is an outstanding debut from PERFECT. The band displays a reckless approach to crafting its dense and chaotic prog attacks but offers just enough traditional elements to keep everything anchored to the sounds of the past. Steeped with highly uncommon time signatures set to a quirky Thank You Scientist spazziness, this technical escapade through the prog blender is a nice refreshing reminder that true originality is alive and well and although such bands rarely reap the rewards of their own creative mojo, PERFECT walks the tightrope between screeching skronkiness and splendiferous melodies. The pacing of everything is excellent as there's really not a boring moment on this one for my ears. Can't say this reaches the level of masterpiece of all time but like the USA based prog bands that came before, truly offers a nook of the prog universe where not too many have ventured.