Perfume Genius - No Shape

Hoffentlich kann Mike Hadreas den Abwärtstrend bei Platten vor Gericht stoppen. Als Perfume Genius veröffentlichte er seit 2010 drei Alben mit deutlich sinkendem Punktedurchschnitt: „Learning“ (2010) 7,5 Punkte, „Put Your Back N 2 It“ (2012) 6,6 Punkte und „Too Bright“ (2014) 6,375 Punkte.

Nun als „No Shape“, das Perfume Genius auf 13 Kompositionen stilistisch so vielfältig zeigt wie nie zuvor. Mit „Kirchenmusik, Goth Radio Formaten, Art Pop, Krautrock, Queer Soul, Rhythm and Blues“ reiht der Pressetext die Einflüsse auf und man möchte das wilde Nebeneinander durch Trip Hop, Piano-Balladen und Walzer ergänzen, auf schmachtende Streicher, Tribal-Drums, zirpende Harfe und spooky Electronica verweisen und zudem das Duett mit Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood), ungewöhnliche, intime Texte über erotische Asphyxie-Spiele und die herausragenden Kritiken erwähnen. Metacritic sieht „No Shape“ aktuell bei 85/100 Punkten - aber auch die drei vorherigen Alben lagen jenseits der 80-Punkte-Marke.

Despite gorgeous string arrangements and moments of heavenly ecstasy, this is no orchestral-pop wankfest. Songs are short but pack in so much. Some artists embrace success by making their work longer – Hadreas goes deeper. Granted, one of the highlights is Sides, a stunning, near-five-minute duet with Natalie Mering of Weyes Blood, full of heady melodies and textures.No Shape is not defined by any one sound, genre or instrument. Just Like Love is all waltzy romance; there are overtones of Sade in the smouldering Die 4 You; Valley has a jaunty pace and a hook befitting a pop song, but the fragmented lyrical imagery is more like poetry; and Choir pairs an urgent string arpeggio with eerie spoken word to disembodying effect.Many influences are apparent, but the delight is how much No Shape lives up to its title. On 2014’s Too Bright, Hadreas expressed liberationist sentiments, played with gender and made his queerness confrontational. This time, those themes are felt more heavily in the way he channels familiar riffs, structures and themes into something so singular, unsettling and beautiful.(Now Magazine)

The centrepiece of the record, Wreath, is a semi-title track dedicated to fluidity. 'I wanna hover with no shape,' he muses. 'I’m gunna call out every name until the one I’m meant to take / sends a dove.' A whirling, spinning, breathless testimony to Hadreas’ unique vision and aesthetic, Wreath sparkles with power, beauty and truth.Perfume Genius’ magic lies in transforming struggle into folklore, mythologizing a daily endurance against patriarchal bullshit. These are vital hymns to unite and strengthen, and his press release states in no uncertain terms that Hadreas intends to change your life. It feels an almost outdated artistic intention in pop’s current economic climate, but this revolution isn’t necessarily one of grand gestures. Alan – the album’s closing lullaby – comforts, soars and then slips away, asking, 'Did you notice, we slept through the night?'(The Skinny)

Perfume Genius in Deutschland:
14.06.17 Berlin, Kantine am Berghain