Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Elvis Perkins's debut Ash Wednesday has been well received for the most part, even though the market for singer/songwriter types is way oversaturated at the moment. (If his name sounds familiar, his dad was the dude in Psycho and his mom was in one of the planes that hit the twin towers.) At times Perkins is reminiscent of Dylan; he strings together slightly obtuse narratives that lack a defining chorus, or he has some clever wordplay. But what makes him a cut about the rest is that he sounds oh-so-humble throughout; his voice quivers at just the right time, treading the fine line between self-deprecation and sadistic undertones. Sure, he was probably born into a family with connections and opportunity, but knowing this doesn't detract from his sincerity. Perkins has a boyish charm that Ryan Adams had earlier this decade and that, rightly so, makes young ladies swoon and guys try to figure out how they can cop his subtle suaveness.