My copy of Elvis Perkins’ Ash Wednesday came yesterday from Insound – finally. I’d been waiting for what seemed an eternity. Seriously, you guys. This album is pretty amazing. I’d already been obsessed with the song While You Were Sleeping, and the rest of the album … well … sheesh. If I had one regret about missing the ACL Festival this year, it was missing Elvis’ set. I can’t help but be moved by lines like this (from It’s Only Me):

“It’s only me, it’s only me /
The sound of my heart /
That startled me.”

But then I do a little digging and find out he’s coming to Phoenix on Nov. 25 to Modified with Pernice Brothers. Problem: I think I’m gonna have to work. Um, cough, I think I’ll be sick. Or something.

The closest comparison I can come to Elvis Perkins’ lyrical clarity and how it moves me is what I feel when I listen to Richard Buckner. Perkins’ voice isn’t as husky and dominating as Buckner’s, but there’s a bit of a quiver, a vulnerability that pulls you in whatever direction it wants.

Elvis Perkins | While You Were Sleeping