by Neelam Mehta
Daily Lobo
Even the somber likes of Morrissey and AFI have some competition in the music-to-sit-alone-and-drink-to category from Let There be Morning, the latest record from The Perishers.
Although just as passionate, the band doesn't come close to its angst brethren in terms of talent or style.
Singer and guitarist Ola KlÅft's wistful voice makes him sound perpetually on the brink of tears, so much so that he seems to forget about his guitar. Maybe he doesn't want to overwhelm the band's melancholic sound with a lot of lengthy solos. Maybe he decided bland acoustic strumming accentuates The Perishers' style.
Or maybe he's just not a great guitarist.
The intensity KlÅft lacks as a guitarist is more than made up for in his vocals, which give a bold and relatable view into his lyrical misery.
The band embraces the minimalist approach to composing music. Slow and mellow bass lines rest on equally slow beats, each seeming careful to not impede on the other's flow when a powerful collision of the two is exactly what The Perishers' sound needs. The bass blends vaguely into the background, playing a vital, yet at the same time disposable, role in every song.
Drummer Thomas Hedlund sticks to the predictable indie-pop basics: short drum rolls, few tempo variations and, as holds true with too many bands in the genre, an obvious talent inhibited by his fellow musicians.
It has nothing to do with the band's intensity or passion. The band has been creating music for eight years and, despite blatant shortcomings - such as listlessness - creates music.The band elicits dark emotions many ignore, as darkness probably won't send records flying off the shelves. However, it did score the group an American tour with Sarah McLachlan.
If one song truly represents what this sad little band is capable of, it is "Nothing Like You and I." Beginning with an unaccompanied single-note bass line, the low, serene vocals drop in, and then the relatively vibrant guitar cuts in, followed by the cymbal-heavy beat.
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The effect of each musician gracefully falling into each other adds vibrancy and a delicate creativity to "Nothing Like You and I" that is not seen on any other song on the album.
Unfortunately, the song cannot salvage the rest of the album, a sad conclusion for a band that, for having so much emotion and passion to share, simply cannot make depression captivating.
The Perishers will play tonight at Tingley Coliseum.
