Although Elvis Perkins' debut album 'Ash Wednesday' hinted at a musician poised deliciously between the drifts of melody and melancholy it was only when he took his music on the road that the true value and worth of his blue-eyed soul came spectacularly to life. Alongside a three-strong touring band, Perkins was capable of adding broad changes of pace and shade to his desolate sound, and this spirited charge fuelled Perkins' grief-ridden songs with a new - and exciting - sense of purpose.

Thankfully Perkins recognised this impact and 'Elvis Perkins in Dearland' is his debut record playing alongside those same three multi-instrumentalist friends (Brigham Brough, Wyndham Boylan-Garnett and Nick Kinsley). The result is a revelation and must leave Perkins in something of a quandary; when his music sounds this vital in the company of a band why ever consider returning to the solo stool?

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Before he can begin considering his next step Perkins (and chums) must first be whole-heartedly applauded for what is a relentlessly engaging LP.

Using a patchwork of harmonica, sax, upright bass, banjo, clarinet and trombone, 'Elvis Perkins in Dearland' feels like a big, bright and bombastic chunk of infectious new-aged soul. In places touching on the intricate song forms of The Decemberists, in others sounding like the otherworldly nu-folk of Death Vessel, it's a collection of songs that feels like an exciting, raw and brave musical experiment.

Perkins' unique vocal style has already been well documented; an abrupt, intoxicated swagger that occasionally veers off via some delightful flights of falsetto fancy. On 'Ash Wednesday' it was the album's central, bleak spine and covered everything in a melancholy that - over the album's breadth - tended to irritate. Here, and free from such responsibilities, it's noticeably more textured; Perkins using his band's rich instrumentation as a canvas from which to play with his vocals. The album's opener 'Shampoo' and stand-out track 'Send My Fond Regards to Lonelyville' for example sound strikingly different. The later being the most enjoyable six minutes of musical re-invention this particular scribe has heard all year.

Make no bones about it, 'Elvis Perkins in Dearland' is a timeless, emotionally-rich and infectious debut record. It may only register as a stop-gap in Perkins soon-to-be illustrious career but it'll go down in blue-eyed folklore as one of the surprise hits of the year. Long live Elvis.

'Elvis Perkins of Dearland' is released on XL Recordings on 6th April 2009. A select number of tracks from the album can be streamed from the Elvis Perkins official site now.

Words: Louise Lake
Official site: www.elvisperkinsindearland.com