Parallelograms

Chronique

Linda Perhacs' cult favorite Parallelograms instantly evokes the spare and isolated feel of the songs and the production on Joni Mitchell's first albums, particularly her debut (largely solo acoustic) -- not to mention the melodies, guitar playing, and singing. It's not a photocopy, however; it's hard to imagine Mitchell singing "I'm spacing out, I'm seeing silences between leaves," as Perhacs does on "Chimacum Rain," unless Mitchell got spiked with acid right before getting on-stage. In addition, Perhacs is adept at dropping unusual effects and arrangements into the mix, that on occasion have a mildly disquieting and psychedelic vibe. Back to "Chimacum Rain," for example: double-tracked voices get into a slightly hypnotic, disorienting swirl, and suddenly move into a half-chanted section with doomy background notes from hard-to-identify instruments. "Parallelograms" is a round-like vocal (again with multi-track voices), consisting of exactly eight words, that without warning goes into creepy washes of electronically distorted voices, flutes, and rattles. Not all of the record is unusual, though; much of it's just attractively wistful, moody singer/songwriter folk, sometimes with an engaging folk-jazz backup, sometimes just with a guitar, sometimes enlivened by creative smudges of organ and electric guitar.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo