If you like Brian Wilson, the Beatles, Ray Davies, and Harry Nilsson, then the answer is emphatically “yes!” Perkins’ eponymous debut album from 2016 is a damn near perfect lo-fi-ish gem, but the first album of his I heard was his superb and polished sophomore album from 2022, E Pluribus M Ross. He also released a six song EP in 2018 called What Did You Do For Summer Break? and a terrific non-LP single in 2021, “Bird of the World.” 31 songs in eight years is not a lot to crow about, but when 29 of them make you sit up and ask, “who the hell is this guy,” then what’s left to do but tell the world.
So who the hell is M Ross Perkins? The answer is damn nigh impossible: born in 1987 in Dayton, Ohio, he grew up on Titus Ave right down the street from Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices, who became almost famous when Perkins was seven years old and GBV released their classic seventh album, Bee Thousand in 1994.
Let me clear: M Ross Perkins and Robert Pollard are very different songwriters (with one critic calling Perkins “Brian Wilson to Pollard’s Pete Townshend”), and my newfound love of the former has absolutely nothing to do with my borderline obsession with the latter. In fact, I fell in love with Perkins’ music before I knew any of this.
More on Perkins: in 2007, MGMT blew up off their generational debut album, Oracular Spectacular, and somehow, they heard Perkins’ earliest psych rock recordings (when he was only 20 years old). They were so blown away, they invited Perkins to open for them on their tour. But he suffered from severe anxiety at the time and had to turn them down. I would pay a lot of $$ to hear those songs, which have never been released as far as I know.
It would be almost a decade before Perkins’ debut album finally appeared. He plays every instrument on it, and I think you’ll agree it’s hard not to get emotional watching this solo acoustic performance of “Someone Else,” a song that feels like a lost classic from the 1960s:
There’s a lot more where that comes from: almost every song on the album feels like it was written in the 60s or 70s by one of your favorite songwriters: “My Poor Daughter” and “Of the Gun” (Harry Nilsson), “Ever, Ever, Ever” (Ray Davies), “No Good Sons of Galveston” (Guy Clark), “Annie Waits in a Dream” (John Lennon), etc.
It’s also important to point out that this guy has a sense of humor: “Amazing Grace (Grandma’s Dead)” made me laugh out loud the first time I heard it, and “Habit-Formin’ Drugs” is both a better song and funnier.
The EP and the second album both have a richer, fuller sound. Perkins play all the instruments on both and has become such an excellent producer at this point that other talented songwriters would be wise to hire him to produce their albums. And he’s also perfected synthesizing his influences even more: “When You’re Near Me” and “It’s Your Boy” (Harry Nilsson), “Bed Sheet Wing” (Brian Wilson), “The New American Laureate” (the best Ray Davies song not written by Ray Davies? Perhaps).
This guy is a major talent masquerading as a minor one. Spread the word!
Super chill dude in person too.
You just broadened my musical horizon. Love his stuff.