Review Summary: Lovely improvisational acoustic folk in the vein of M. Ward from an electronic mastermind.
Polmo Polpo was a project that had quite the original take on the electronica genre. Consisting of one member (
Sandro Perri), Polmo Polpo were often able to conjure up music that led critics to use words like 'visionary' to describe it. Perri's ability to combine slow-burning drones with melodic phrases was key to his role as a truly original producer in the electronic world. Perri's first full-length under his own name is, to drastically understate the scenario, a departure from his electronic work.
Tiny Mirrors is a totally organic singer/songwriter affair complete with acoustic guitars, verse/chorus structures and pretty vocal harmonies. Recorded with the aid of a number of Toronto's improvisational players,
Tiny Mirrors presents an original take on the singer/songwriter genre, much in the same way as Polmo Polpo and the electronica genre.
Tiny Mirrors is a richly interesting album in which Perri has been able to completely reinvent himself as a laid-back singer/songwriter who fits alongside such artists as
M. Ward by mixing simple acoustic tunes with jazz, post-war folk and occasionally sexy funk. What is perhaps most compelling about
Tiny Mirrors is that it's very easy to imagine that each song sounded far different in its original or demo form than it does on the final product of this album. Throughout
Tiny Mirrors, there's a very clear sense of structure and planning when it comes to Perri's voice, guitar and bass drum (he plays guitar and kick drum simultaneously). What happens around that basis, however, is the improvisation of brass players, woodwind players, keyboardists and guitarists. It's not difficult to imagine recording sessions with Perri sitting in the middle and playing his songs while various players walk in and out, making their contributions as they desire. The overall effect is a sound of messy free-form playing in the midst of control and structure.
Vocally and stylistically, Perri's easiest comparison is M. Ward and yet the apparent difference between the creation process of the two is most pronounced. Where Ward's music has the feeling of the control of a mastermind and a band worked to perfection,
Tiny Mirrors still feels the presence of a mastermind, but without the same control that Ward's exhibits. The free-form nature makes it difficult to distinguish one track from the next, at least at first, and it's a pleasant feeling to allow the subdued, organic music to wash over. If there's one thing that
Tiny Mirrors is proof of, it's that Perri is such a talented bastard that he seems to be able to create gorgeous music in whatever genre he desires, all while adding his unique touches to the sound. Lovely.
Recommended Tracks
Double Suicide, Everybody's Talkin', Love is Real
