Family Perfume Vol 1. - White Fence
(Woodsist 2012)
(7.8)
As expected with any release on the Woodsist label, (the guys who brought us Ducktails and Ganglians) White Fence's newest album Family Perfume is a sweet blend of psychedelia and lo-fi garage rock. Family Perfume takes us on a trippy freeride that has its ups and downs, but still makes for an interesting listen.
You can tell Tim Presley has something strange cooked up for us right off the bat. A heavily distorted voice greets us with the name of the band followed by ten seconds of beeps and bloops. The opening song "Swagger Vets and Double Moon" could easily be mistaken for an outtake off The Beatles' Let It Be, not just for the vocals but also its bluesy guitar driven melody. It's actually not really representative of the rest of the album's generally chill tone, so don't be discouraged if you're looking for songs more in the vein of "Killin' the Vibe" by Ducktails. If that's your thing skip to track 4, "Balance Yr Heart," the perfect mixture of Bob Dylan and Nick Drake with a 60s FM vibe to keep you Ty Segall fans happy.
Next up is my favorite offering on Family Perfume, "Do You Know Ida Know." A steady bass and twangy guitar plucking in the background compliment Presley's vocals extremely well. By the time I reached "It Will Never Be" I realized that this was starting to sound eerily familiar to of Montreal's early recordings, which is by no means bad company. "A Hermes Blues" is a song that brings me back to listening to Paul Simon on the way to school, with a keyboard riddled chorus sent from old-school heaven. Almost makes me wish I was eating a cheap gas station donut right about now.
While Family Perfume is a very mature step in White Fence's musical career, Presley has some big choices lying ahead of him. He can clear the fuzz and move to a studio like so many before him, or he can stay in the garage and keep that fun and loose attitude. I'm hoping he makes his next recording even more muddled, but we'll just have to anxiously wait and see what happens next!
