Rightly celebrated as "one of the most singular producers in contemporary music" (Boomkat) for his widely varied electronic work, Perri's foundations as a guitarist have always factored into his 'solo' albums in one form or another. On Soft Landing, Perri's guitar is at the calm and expressively rambling heart of these tunes - while his recording and mixing acumen as a (self) producer is, as always, on brilliant display. "God Blessed The Fool" is a splendid stroke of sultry slow-burn soul that finds Sandro busting out his sweet falsetto; "Wrong About The Rain" channels only the choicest tropes of syncopated 70s-era soft-rock, with Perri weaving ornate guitar licks around a succulent interplay of clavinet and trap kit, resulting in one of the most immediately satisfying tunes he's ever put to tape - high praise for someone with such a stellar catalogue to date, but we're confident fans will agree. And as with last year's In Another Life (which comprised two album-length sides "infinite song'), Soft Landing includes the 16-minute track "Time (You Got Me)", an enchanted mid-tempo excursion anchored by a gently sliding guitar riff and a serene vocal singing a wistfully acquiescent love letter to the fourth dimension. Paced by congas, shakers, claves, impressionistic piano and even the occasional wind chime, Perri wraps up his final vocal refrain by the song's fifth minute and then steers the instrumental theme down a long and winding road in his inimitable style - like a stroll along a country lane where every glint of dappled sunlight catches another rustling, animate micro-detail.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Having written for me, one of the standout indie LP's of 2018, with 'In Another Life' and been a member of a number of standout acts and bands of the past 20 years (Polmo Polpo, Glissandro 70, Off-World), Sandro Perri is one of the few Constellation acts (though their roster is ever-changing and brilliantly fluid) to have achieved a crossover success into the indie rock mainstream. 'Soft landing is a perfect illustration why, clever and enthralling but without being too heavy on the ears. Top stuff.TRACK LISTING
01 Time (You Got Me)
02 Floriana
03 God Blessed The Fool
04 Back On Love
05 Wrong About The Rain
06 Soft Landing