The Perfect Vessels have an overall sound that I was not expecting coming from a band that originates from Memphis, TN. The group is made up of brothers Graham and Justin Fox Burks and David Bell. The power pop trio has a bit of a Wilco, a more upbeat Pinback and there is a slight but more organized Of Montreal feel, filled with cliché phrases in the lyrics. The set release date for the album is April 12.
“Running Out Of Time,” is upbeat with the acoustic guitar and the drums. The Southern accent is auditable when you get to “To All These Big Brothers.” But it doesn’t take away from the song—if anything, it enhances it. The band sends listeners on a trip during “Atmosphere.” The tone and the repetition in the chorus put you into a daze if you let it. “Maria (Only You Know Why)” isn’t anything special and is the weakest cut on Name Our Own Stars, which is rather upsetting seeing how the album was flowing quite nicely up until that song. Luckily, “Under The Starlight,” helped to save the album. This is probably one of my favorite tunes off the release. The guitar in this track reminds me a lot of Pinback, which is why I like it so much.
The mellowness is replaced with the power again with “Selling The Scenario,” which comes in as a close second for my favorite ditty; it’s danceable and bouncy. In “Forever” the bounciness is replaced with funk, which you can still get down to the cut. The instrumentals in “Shine,” the final piece of the disc is a nice way to bring the album to a close. It is relaxing, peaceful and still catchy. The album is different with the acoustic guitar/power pop fusion.
In A Word: Different
