E Pluribus M Ross

Description

Like a sort of magician traveling through time and endowed with a supernatural melodic sensitivity, M Ross Perkins is back with his second album, E Pluribus M Ross. The album, his first for Karma Chief Records, a division of Colemine, is a new masterclass in home recording with 12 shimmering slices of purely perfect psychedelic pop. To describe Perkins' influences, one might mention Rhodes and Nilsson, but the list should be expanded to include pop-rock visionaries like Brian Wilson, Colin Blunstone, and even John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Not to mention the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Kinks. Perkins has clearly learned many useful tips from these legends and others who made the late 1960s and early 1970s such a magical musical era, but he has carved out his own unique path by drawing from the past and returning to it. The melodies, arrangements, and overall sense of songwriting are as sophisticated as the work of Wilson and Nilsson, which is remarkable considering that Perkins not only produced all the musical arrangements but also played all the instruments and sang all the parts of the album. Even more impressive is that Perkins is able to evoke all these iconic figures in his songs without resorting to psycho-rock clichés or outright theft. It is an extraordinary balancing act, resulting in a shimmering tapestry of skillfully woven musical threads, each evoking the past while looking toward the future. So, take our advice and join Perkins on his mysterious magical journey through time.