a r t i s t : Sandro Perri
t i t l e : Tiny Mirrors
d a t e : 2007
l a b e l : Constellation
c a t : CST047
s o u r c e : CDDA
g e n r e : Folk
r l s. d a t e : Aug/2007
t r a c k s : 10
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 50,6 MB
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This is the first full-length recording by Sandro Perri under
his own name, following an E.P. on Constellation last year (on
which Perri re-interpreted songs from his critically-acclaimed
Polmo Polpo instrumental/electronic project). Working with
some of Toronto's finest avant and improv players, Sandro has
fully re-invented himself as a singer, lyricist and guitar
player, and Tiny Mirrors is the culmination of this
transformation - a highly personal collection of songs, shaped
by an utterly original approach to composition, performance,
and melodic and vocal phrasing.
Tiny Mirrors incorporates elements and sensibilities - albeit
in subtle hues - as diverse as Vanguard-era Skip James (and
his weary falsetto), post-tropicalia Caetano Veloso (the
compositional twists), and the 60s-era axis of hybrid
songwriters like Tim Buckley, Tim Hardin, Harry Nilsson and
Fred Neil (whose "Everybody's Talkin'" is covered here,
re-cast as a rumination on the 'epidemic' of second-hand
experience). Perri's simultaneous guitar and kick drum playing
is complemented by the cracked wah guitar of labelmate Eric
Chenaux on several tracks, with brass, reeds, woodwinds, keys
and percussion filling out the arrangements, courtesy of
regular bandmates Ryan Driver, Marcus Quin and John Jowett. A
handful of other Toronto players contribute on drums, trombone
and cello.
Crucial to the album's sound is the fact that Perri gave up
much control to the group dynamics, allowing some of the
arrangements to develop out of the players' natural tendencies
towards improvisation. "Love Is Real", for example, set to a
fluid and amorphous backdrop of heavily phased 'neo-soul', was
altered substantially by Chenaux's rhythmic re-configurations,
while "Double Suicide" (of which the original version has not
yet seen proper release) is presented here in an alternate
form. Anchored entirely by drummer Blake Howard's in-studio
restlessness, the original gets transformed from a brooding
slow-burner into a strangely fractured bossa nova; a tricky
polyrhythmic delight. Ending the record is a re-working of the
lead-off track "Family Tree", here renamed "Mirror Tree" and
consisting of only the core band, sans Perri altogether - a
testament to the group's interpretive power.
Overall, Perri strikes the perfect balance of sophisticated
writing (melodically and as a lyricist) and, with the help of
his band, deceptively effortless, relaxed, unconstrained
performance. These songs abound in subtle texture and
flourish, and the burbling swirl of instrumental work is a
through-line to his earlier recordings as Polmo Polpo, where a
similarly simmering brew of interweaving melodies yielded such
an original and seductive take on 'electronic' music. Perri
brings the same originality, warmth, energy and intelligence
to his eponymous singer-songwriter work; Tiny Mirrors pulses
and froths and lounges and glides with inimitable ingenuity,
genuineness, substance and style.
The album was beautifully recorded by Jeff McMurrich (Hidden
Cameras, Constantines, Bruce Cockburn) at Hallamusic in
Toronto. Two songs, and various overdubs, were recorded at
Sandro's home studio, The Honey Pot.
The CD format of this recording comes in a felt-finish
cardstock package with bronze foil-stamp printing. 180gLP
comes in same paper, with a silkscreen print.
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01-Family Tree [03:37]
02-City Of Museums [03:06]
03-Double Suicide [05:50]
04-The Drums [03:27]
05-Everybody's Talkin' [04:51]
06-The Mime [04:18]
07-You're The One [04:39]
08-White Flag Blues [04:43]
09-Love Is Real [04:31]
10-Mirror Tree [02:40]
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41:42 min