Labels: Count Your Lucky Stars – sncl
Review by: Joe Callaghan
This was a difficult one to pin down. It’s quite possibly the record that I have given the most amount of spins before finally jotting down my thoughts on it. Even after about 6 or 7 full plays, I’m still feeling completely undecided. Whilst undeniable qualities are there, they are still held back by numerous flaws. First and foremost “” vocally. I’m not convinced by his voice at the best of times. When he reverts to a stern, flat yelp, reminiscent of Sinaloa, his voice sounds strapping and full of conviction, but it’s the singing which drifts in and out of tune frequently, and forcing words into poor melodies, and not in a shambolic Tim Kinsella kind of way, which can make the listener wince a little. The melodious vocals sound thin and struggle to keep tune over what is a reasonably complex rhythm section. Secondly, it’s a little busy, like a direct influence couldn’t be fully settled on. The parts swiftly alter from one sound to another, and whilst the jingly arpeggios and clean sharp stabs are slick and arresting, the muffled, fuzzy guitar tone sounds like a Cap’n Jazz/Black Sabbath mash-up, which could be corrected by just whacking up the treble so it doesn’t sound like it is being amplified from under the sea.
Positives? There are plenty. It’s rigid and tight. The sparkling clean picked guitar parts weave in and out of each other without being needlessly complicated, but not too simplistic that they go unnoticed. It plods along in a dreamy American Football ilk, rather than all this twinkly-shredding like some kind of Emo Guitar Hero. Often incorporated is a razor-sharp post-punk persuasion, where the vocals are sternly yelped boasting similarities to a less frantic What Price Wonderland, packed with conviction and tenable merits. When it’s sharp and cutting, Perfect Future really grab hold, but continue to be held back. The superior parts of the songs don’t get chance to settle and build as the part quickly changes to something entirely different. The loud/quiet dynamics are flawed as the harsh, distorted tone lacks bite and sharp high frequencies. For Perfect Future to fully excel, the foot needs to be taken off the accelerator, as they allow themselves to strip down. Parts need to settle, building an atmosphere and backbone for the song, whilst the vocals need to dig out a consistent tone. The sharp yelps would demand and maintain the listener’s attention in favour of forced melodies.
This full length is a keen and inviting effort, and gets within touching distance of being a complete record.