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Review Summary: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood There’s a lot of albums out there that take their name from a famous city, state or region, and in most cases the relationship between that locale and the musical content held within remains completely arbitrary; if the artist had never made the association then you the listener would never have got there on your own. Not so with proud Irishman Perry Blake’s ‘California’…and yes, I know what you’re thinking, he’s Irish, how authentic can this sound？ Well you see, there’s the thing, this album never intends to sound like the ‘real California’ so much as a residual notion that lingers in the back of all our minds; a Hollywood-informed luxurious, somewhat decadent place, but one that also bears the heavy heart of failed romance and and an inescapable all-pervading sense of faded glamour. The songs here are deeply evocative, romantic, cinematic…but they feel lost, cast adrift from any set specific period of time.
What helps draw the listener into this strange faded fantasy postcard world is the everyman nature of the story this album tells; you may not have moved to California but you’ve probably moved town, started anew, seen things aren’t quite what you had assumed before you arrived. This clever device is probably most obvious on one of the album’s standout tracks, ‘Morning Song’, where Blake tries to reassure himself that all is well in his new environs with the comforting mantra 'pick up the papers, put on your clothes, everything seems just like it used to be.’ Of course even that simple routine is now itself outdated and fading into the mists of time before our eyes; who gets a paper delivered in 2019？It already seems like something from an old movie you once watched, just another out of step memory contained in the head of some ‘middle aged man in slacks’.
The music itself does an expert job of building the exact desired dreamy atmosphere, one that leaves the listener floating through the day in their own blissful cotton wool state, half removed from reality. Bacharach style string swells add a sense of sweet melancholia and romantic nostalgia whenever they surface, but make the strongest impression on album highlights like the straightforwardly titled ‘Pretty Love Song’ and the sunset fade of an album closer ‘Venus of the Canyon’. The compositions are always rich and heavily textured but never overbearing or unpleasantly saccharine, which is quite the achievement considering the ingredients Blake is working with. His croon and falsetto may be a sticking point for some, but again his handling of his vocal contributions is to my mind tasteful, the wistful quality he lands on highly effective. The two albums Blake released before this one both boasted more grounded chamber production styles and were more overtly classic in the expected singer/song writer art rock mould, but despite the contrived thematic/musical curveball, it’s ‘California’ that feels like it comes from the truer place and plays to the artist's biggest strengths.
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Ugh turn the positivity down I cannot cope (pos xx)
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Sad album tho
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Will try to check later. On a train headed into a heatwave rn, send prayers
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
this is a perfect heatwave album...once you sit next to a fan with a cool alcoholic drink you feel?
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I feel you hard, will see if the latter pair can be procured
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
The opener sounds promising.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Classic review, doof. Haven't heard this in a good minute so might be time for a rejam.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Thanks Lucman, saw you were one of the few to have this rated :D
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Fun fact - I have two albums named ‘California’ 5’d
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Yeah so this is quietly blowing my mind.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Good man Lark :D
One of my most played over the last three or so years
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Oh goodness the guilt from this thread just hit me
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this guy's first couple records are cool, gonna have to spin this one
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Oh wow, California is... different
certainly am not as enticed by this sphere of influences at the minute. It's super-smooth and is almost lounge-like, which isn't my favourite 'fit' for the voice / vibes. Getting a mildly conflicting 'calming yet dramatic trepidation' combo and dunno which way to turn
Still Life's atmosphere seemed to work for me more as it had comparatively less sheen. Early days mind
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
'Getting a mildly conflicting 'calming yet dramatic trepidation' combo'
that's the best thing about this
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
I'm easily confused Doof, so I need emotions broadcast in distinct and obvious ways
second half of Still Life starting with 'Friend' is brilliant, I wonder where your (minor) gripes are(?) - "I'll Let You In" is perhaps my least fave
I'll give this another go sometime soon, see if I can adjust
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
I wouldn't say this was 'love at first listen' - I think after coming from his first two albums I was a bit resistant. I mean the 'cheesy as all fuck' reaction stated in the soundoff came before the review, that was the early impression, the review is the 'over ten listens' opinion.
'Still Life' there's nothing bad there, my attention wanders a bit, like I said more just a bit unwieldy for a start to finish listen - an hour and 5 minute album vs a 45 minute album is usually going to favour the 45 minutes unless the hour+ is really warranted.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
'his third album, California, was co-produced with Italian composer Marco Sabiu and featured Dickon Hinchliffe of Tindersticks and the former Prefab Sprout drummer Neil Conti'
this is nice, didn't know this info
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
yeah, I got hit with a bit of lactose intolerance and perhaps I wasn't expecting it
The second half of Still Life is top drawer, really is. Worth the exposure just for that aforementioned sequence, so cheers. Maybe in time I'll accept this too!
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
I hope so, but increasingly I have very idiosyncratic taste in what appeals to the level of a 5 so I certainly don't expect people to agree with the majority of my 'classic' selections. I guess I like to think I'd have 20-30% overlap with most well listened music fans :/
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