PERHAPS

PERHAPS are a trio out of Boston and this is their debut from 2012. A guitar, bass and drum setup but with guest trumpet and sax along with a string quartet basically. I remember the buzz over this one on the site here but being a guy who needs a physical copy it just wasn't happening until some six years later. No it wasn't worth the wait but this is all about my taste in music because when a band gets labelled Math Rock you know they can play, I'm just not big on that style of music. This is certainly more than that though, in fact some Post Rock guitars pop up at times but man I have a really hard time with most of this. Experimental and noisy but with that jumbled feeling along with being chaotic. Later when the strings arrive and it settles I find it much more interesting and enjoyable. Oh did I mention this is one long track almost 38 minutes in length? An impressive debut that goes right over my head. The enjoyment level is quite low to say the least. The majority on here love it, so there's that.

Respect to the first two albums, PERHAPS third has two significant differences: vocals, even if some are just speech, and an album divided into tracks. Let's say that the vocals are well integrated in the music, so it's not a change as big is it could seem, and also the division into tracks seems more "logical" than "physical".

The tracks fade one into the following with continuity and the total length is very similar to that of the first two albums: a bit more than 35 minutes.

But those 35 minutes are very rich and intense.. I insist in saying that PERHAPS have somethig that reminds to YES, and the first minute of this album gives me this impression, but then it crosses a lot of subgenres: psychedelia, rock, there's a bit of everything. Also some vynil scratch can be heard. The guitar riffs are fast and technically perfect.

Sometimes it may sound as a trippy improvisation, and probably parts of this album are improvised, but the huge instrumental skills of the band members is evident also in the improvised parts. On the coutrary: I'd say that the most chaotic and improvised sections are the more enjoyable. THe final of Donzo's Montreaux is a crazy mixture of sounds kept together by drums and bass which are perfectly synchronized, so it doesn't sound very much improvised.

In 2015 we fans were left stunned by the announcement of the band's split, but luckiky they later changed their minds. I like thinking that the messages sent to them by the users on progarchives have contributed in rolling that decision back.

This 20 minutes EP, containing one single track as usually in PERHAPS' albums, sounds like a psychedelic long jam session. Also the length is in line with the side of a vynil.

More than post rock, I feel a krautrock vibe. Imangine the first Amon Duul album, replace the freaks with real musicians, add a bit of sitar, vocals and even a touch of "CAN" and you'll have an idea of it.

I don't know what came first, but probably the collaboration with Damo Suzuki has influenced this work, or alternatively, listening to this work has raised Damo's interest in the band.

In any case, it's a good single, a 20 minutes acid trip. There's no much more to say. Probably my shortest review.

In "Interstellar Overdrive", after the initial guitar riff by Syd Barrett, the music changes rhythm and while bass and drums keep it constant, guitar and keys start making noise until the track becomes chaotic.

Why speaking of Pink Floyd in a review of the last 40 minute single track release of Perhaps? Simply because the rhythm is the same and for a PF addict like me this makes their lat work very appealing.

Of course the similarities end here. The rhythm remains constant for the whole track, except for the initial speeches and the slowdown in the last final seconds. This is the container inside which the band jams. Their jamming is very intriguing, vocals, sax, guitar, everything contributes in capturing the listener's attention, which is necessary in a 40 minutes track without any change in the signature.

A good surprise, especially because I remember to have read that Perhaps were disbanded and "Third" would have been their last album. They are back instead, and it's a pleasure.

The album is on Bandcamp as "Name your price" and deserves to be listened.

The starry space beyond my cup of tea

This is the third album from this Boston-based Math Rock band, but the first I hear from them. The line-up of this band is very basic: bass (Jim Haney), drums (Don Taylor) and guitar (Sean McDermott), but they are aided by some additional musicians of whom Kawabata Makoto of Acid Mum's fame is the most notable. The music on this album is thick and overall multi-layered and kaleidoscopic with a foundation of drums and bass, grinding distorted guitars, cosmic synths, some brass instruments and vocals that are integrated with the music rather than in the frontline. This 36-minute album sounds very psychedelic with hints of jazz now and then.

Though the album is divided into 7 tracks, it can best be listened in its entirety, as one single piece. The opening track, Master Destroyer I, is an up-tempo track with an almost genuine 60's psychedelic feel. Master Destroyer II is somewhat softer and more electronic with an improvising guitar. This one reminds me of Gong; even the title of this track suggests some Gong influence.

Butterfly Mirror starts a piece of space rock with a jazzy bass and spacey synthscapes, but it becomes more chaotic towards the middle. After some loose playing, the up-tempo beat returns in the closing section.

Dreamland I is a rather heavy track with distorted guitars. Dreamland II starts bluesy and relaxed. Donzo's Montreux starts as a jazzy kind of loose improvisation dominated by bass, keyboards and a guitar playing some relaxed chords. Sleepwalker is my favourite part of this album, starting as a space lullaby based on a repetitive bass loop.

This kind of music is not what I usually listen to, but I can recommend anyone to give this album at least one listen. Listeners with a liking for space rock cannot go wrong with this one. This is not an essential listen, but definitely good and very enjoyable, especially late in the evening. What amazes me most about this band is that they can make music like this without ending up in a cacophony without melody. Quite a pity that this is their final one. I rate this one 3,6 out of 5.

What a way to bow out. A band that might as well have called themselves Janus, Perhaps brilliantly brought old school space and even fusion mores into the modern age through energetic and cutting edge math rock for three years, and their fairly literal swan song - for all three of their LPs are single songs, even this one with its delineations - is the kind of album prog bands dream of exiting stage left having made.

The "Master Destroyer" sequence starts out by unleashing a strange sounding attack, as if a RIO band got into whacking listeners with 2X4s, before stepping back starting with "Butterfly Mirror"; from there, this is a smooth, relaxing, yet perky and pumped up album that provides endless enjoyment. There's not a single boring part or poorly played instrument. The whole suite is fairly diverse yet ultimately, in that masterful way, cohesive with itself and with the earlier work by the band that they are building off of towards new directions. Dare I compare this with "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"? Well, I just did. But don't worry about comparisons with giants or whether time will be kind enough to Perhaps to reward their excellent record with legendary status... just know that it is, *ahem*, perhaps worthy.

Just when I thought I finally had a grasp on this elusive Boston trio, they decided to call it quits. But at least the band went out in a satisfying blaze of glory, with arguably their most varied collection of music: almost accessible, always uncompromising, and as usual packing more energy into 36-minutes than most groups can manage over an entire career.

The Perhaps strategy seems to have been: throw as much into the mix as quickly as possible, and they certainly didn't waste any time here. The opening salvo, "Master Destroyer", kicks into immediate high gear without any set-up or fade-in: a kinetic rampage of adrenalin held together only by the steadfast but frantic drumming of Ron Taylor.

When the singing begins (a first for this band) the perspective shifts again, like a kaleidoscope rudely shaken. These aren't really songs, be assured: the vocals are no less amorphous than the background of music. But they add a necessary focus to the maelstrom of hyperactive guitars, horns, and synthesizers, in total approaching the dizzy heights of Krautrock psychedelia, but with a stable underpinning of Post Rock structure and design.

This is also the first Perhaps album with separate, indexed track titles, albeit still arranged as an uninterrupted, single block of music. Sean McDermott's unfettered guitar remains the primary instrument, able to demonstrate the outer limits of six-string centrifugal force in one solo before taking the voodoo way down in the next. "Dreamland II" displays a borderline-blues flavor under the usual collage of spacey effects, building toward the near-apocalyptic mayhem of "Donzo's Montreux". And from there it's a quick step over the precipice into the unexpected dreamscape of "Sleepwalker": seven dense minutes of somnolent yet majestic Space Rock, straight out of 1970's Germany.

Astute listeners might recognize the closing notes of this final Perhaps recording as the same, sitar-and-synth intro to their previous "Kamikaze". It's an appropriate gesture for a band about to willfully end its own life, marking a perfect conclusion to both an impressive album and a sadly abbreviated career.

It's an odd title for such beautiful noise, although the album isn't as tranquil as it first sounds. There's a definite tension to the music as it gradually unfolds over nineteen sustained minutes: undercurrents of menace consistent with the edgy earlier work of this young Massachusetts band.

Once again the primary trio (guitar, bass, drums) was joined by a small battalion of collaborators, playing synthesizers (borrowed from Acid Mothers Temple), acoustic piano, sitars and cellos, horns, woodwinds, and more drums, and featuring an unorthodox vocalist who sounds as if he (she?) is singing backward.

All their efforts were combined into a not altogether formless cloud of drifting psychedelic chaos. The performance is looser, and lacks the propulsive rock energy of other Perhaps albums. But the results are more controlled and focused than ever, despite the improvisational nature of the final product.

Describing it is a challenge. The music sounds like several different bands all playing simultaneously, in an overlapping free-fall of Stoner/Space Rock cacophony and bliss. The experience might be somewhat nerve-wracking at first exposure. But repeated listening can usher you into a hypnotic dream-state where it all makes perfect sense, at least at a deeper level of intuitive consciousness.

This is where I almost drew a sketchy comparison between the album and the ego death of Buddhist nirvana, suggesting that the title might not be so random after all. The music seems to invite a certain navel-gazing whimsy, as you might have noticed by now. But here's a better suggestion: skip the philosophical hyperbole and go straight for the headphones.

This is the third full-length album from US band Perhaps and sadly the last one, since in April they communicated in their Facebook fanpage that the project would stop. Anyway, whatever the members decide to do (regarding music) in the future, I wish them good luck. Perhaps was one of the bands I knew thanks to Prog Archives, and whose music came to me due to the internet facilities, so we have to take advantage of this new digital era that allows us to discover a lot of things.

I must admit that my favorite Perhaps release is their debut album, I find it the strongest of them all, and though all are very different each other, I keep the firs one as my preferred. Let me tell you that Perhaps is not a one- genre-band, no, their music offers slices of different scenes, sometimes you will listen to psychedelic rock, sometimes to post-rock, then experimental parts, etc. And this third album is not the exception. So be prepared to this 7-song journey that lasts 36 minutes and that has the collaboration of Kawabata Makoto, the legendary Acid Mother's Temple guitarist.

It opens with "Master Destroyer I", a piece that has a bombastic beginning with some crazy Zappa-esque sounds and some distorted psychedelic guitars. The song flows and continues like a jam, I don't really know if it is a recorded improvisation or was a true composition, however it sounds nice, but not memorable. "Master Destroyer II" is when things slow down a little bit, but also when spacey sounds and Gong-like vocals appear. It is a cosmic trip in which you can close the eyes and transport to another dimension. Besides the guitars and the evident synths, what makes this better is the addition of a saxophone that sounds here and there, in spontaneous moments.

"Butterfly Mirror" continues with that spacey and cosmic sound, with weird vocals and distortions everywhere. I believe one has to be in the mood to dig this, otherwise it would be a difficult journey. The song might not have a true form, and I think it does not need a form, though I admit there are moments where I feel lost, I lose track for a while. Once again, I highlight the use of saxophone in some precious instants. "Dreamland I" starts even crazier, loony, bombastic with a fast rhythm and robotic effects. It has some Ozrics feeling but in moments it is rockier than spacy, well it is a vibrant and energetic journey. "Dreamland II" drastically slows down, it becomes slower and sexier due to that saxophone full of cadency. The music flows and progresses, the special effects bring that inherent cosmic atmosphere and the guitars put the psychedelic and in moments stoner rock vibe.

"Donzo's Montreaux" has much more keyboards in the beginning than in the whole album. Then another trip starts, guitar becomes main character and provides endless riffs while a heavy, psych and powerful background is created. After three minutes some loony voices can be heard. I think that addition of Makoto really influenced Perhaps, I mean, this album could be one of the Acid Mothers catalogue. The final song is "Sleepwalker" and starts very softly, spacey and relaxing at first. While the seconds pass more elements are being added, creating different atmospheres and offering now a sound closer to post-rock. I think this is my favorite moment of the album.

A nice effort by Perhaps, an album full of nuances and trips, but that I think lacks of memorable moments, of a solid passage that makes it unique. Anyway, one can spend 36 nice minutes listening to it.

Enjoy it!

The latest release from this Boston band. The first two albums were one-song albums but this is divided into separate tracks although sometimes they are segued together. Originally they were an instrumental trio of guitar-bass-drums but have expanded their line-up to include an extra guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and a saxophone player. Before this album they had toured and recorded an EP with former Can vocalist Damo Suzuki. Their music is a mix of space rock, post/math, fusion and heavy rock. Here the music is very spacey and loose sounding. The lyrics are sometimes hard to make out and sometimes there is just wordless vocals. The production is lo-fi which complements the music well.

"Master Destroyer I" is based around a nine note arpeggio on guitar. The bass is busy but repetitive. Some guitar soloing after halfway. This runs right into "Master Destroyer II" which starts to mellow out a bit with some speed-altered vocals. The guitar playing seems to be more improvised and solo-like. The drumming gets a little looser as some spacey synths appear. Here there is a catchy vocal part you can make out which goes "I can't believe my eyes..." Some rockin' guitar chords at the end.

"Butterfly Mirror" changes things a bit with some jazzy bass playing, harmonized vocals and all kinds of spaciness in the background. A catchy wordless vocal melody towards the end. "Dreamland I" starts in psych-punk territory. Features some boogie-rock guitar soloing. Some riffs which turn into shredding before "Dreamland II" starts with altered talking and echoed sax playing. The guitar soloing is bluesy and the bass is once again in jazz mode. Organ appears towards the end before the vocals get very Mars Volta sounding.

"Donzo's Montreux" has some spacey synth soloing, busy bass, jazzy drums and improvised guitar plucking. A killer guitar solo is joined by another one at the same time! Some start/stop playing over a guitar freak-out leads to the very 'post-rock' sounding finale "Sleepwalker". More laid-back than the rest of the album. Post-punk bass playing with picked guitar playing (mostly arpeggios). Some spacey wordless vocals and cymbals as well. The sax starts soloing as everything builds up but falls away to leave just the bass. Then a noisy crescendo which increases in tempo.

Perhaps the greatest release yet from Perhaps. Their sound has certainly evolved without straying too far from their original sound. Although not completely improvised and structureless, the music here is very loose and free. Very little that could be considered mainstream but at the same time not too experimental or weird. A very good release from 2015. 4 stars.