KAMIKAZE

Curiously, seems that every new Perhaps release has nine minutes less to offer, Volume 1 has 37, Volume 2 has 28 and this new EP entitled "Kamikaze" has 19 minutes; another common thing is that those three releases are a one-song-album, and of course, that all of them have good music to share. However, this time we see a new face of Perhaps, far from that math rock, loony and fast experiments they did in their full length albums, here, they bring us a different sound, closer to the slow and atmospheric side of post rock, which might also be called new age.

So once again I can say these guys are talented, they have no barriers, they simply create and play the music they want to share, no matter if its sound drastically changes from one release to other. Well, since the very first seconds we can notice the music has something quite different, we can listen to a sitar and its beautiful sound, being accompanied by a soft piano and some synth noises as background, like a spiritual meditation with even some vocals that start after a minute and a half. Later the song continues and a vast salad of sounds begins, so I recommend you to have good headphones so you can actually appreciate those sounds, the different instruments, the nuances and atmospheres they bring, which in moments create an inspirational mood that is healthy for our souls.

After 11 minutes there is a passage I enjoy a lot, the atmosphere continues but this time some soft guitar riffs appear, enchanting the music and putting some light into that relaxing mood. I love the combination of electric guitar with sitar, both implement opposite textures that at the same time create a whole, so both are the perfect complement. The music flows, and all of a sudden you realize there are two or three minutes left, so the music passes fast, in spite of being relatively slow.

I like this EP, I love how Perhaps dare to morph and offer different music, however, I am still amazed by their Volume I and hope they can bring us something like that soon. Almost 20 minutes of nice music, so my final grade will be 3 stars.

Enjoy it!

It's an odd title for such beautiful noise, although the album isn't as tranquil as it first sounds. There's a definite tension to the music as it gradually unfolds over nineteen sustained minutes: undercurrents of menace consistent with the edgy earlier work of this young Massachusetts band.

Once again the primary trio (guitar, bass, drums) was joined by a small battalion of collaborators, playing synthesizers (borrowed from Acid Mothers Temple), acoustic piano, sitars and cellos, horns, woodwinds, and more drums, and featuring an unorthodox vocalist who sounds as if he (she?) is singing backward.

All their efforts were combined into a not altogether formless cloud of drifting psychedelic chaos. The performance is looser, and lacks the propulsive rock energy of other Perhaps albums. But the results are more controlled and focused than ever, despite the improvisational nature of the final product.

Describing it is a challenge. The music sounds like several different bands all playing simultaneously, in an overlapping free-fall of Stoner/Space Rock cacophony and bliss. The experience might be somewhat nerve-wracking at first exposure. But repeated listening can usher you into a hypnotic dream-state where it all makes perfect sense, at least at a deeper level of intuitive consciousness.

This is where I almost drew a sketchy comparison between the album and the ego death of Buddhist nirvana, suggesting that the title might not be so random after all. The music seems to invite a certain navel-gazing whimsy, as you might have noticed by now. But here's a better suggestion: skip the philosophical hyperbole and go straight for the headphones.

This 20 minutes EP, containing one single track as usually in PERHAPS' albums, sounds like a psychedelic long jam session. Also the length is in line with the side of a vynil.

More than post rock, I feel a krautrock vibe. Imangine the first Amon Duul album, replace the freaks with real musicians, add a bit of sitar, vocals and even a touch of "CAN" and you'll have an idea of it.

I don't know what came first, but probably the collaboration with Damo Suzuki has influenced this work, or alternatively, listening to this work has raised Damo's interest in the band.

In any case, it's a good single, a 20 minutes acid trip. There's no much more to say. Probably my shortest review.