If “How The West Was Won” and “Humanworld” are two records that testify to an authentic resurrection, with the first representing the rebirth of the late leader of The Only Ones and the second confirming that the emaciated English rocker and songwriter was back from the ashes to stay, this “The Cleansing” could also be seen as a new beginning. Today we can in fact be certain that old Peter's (he has now blown out seventy-three candles) is certainly a new path, not just the extemporaneous outburst of a survivor – something that the gaunt bard has been many times, in a history of lethal addictions that they took him away from the scenes with a duration of twenty years. Because this third solo album of his shows a clear, ambitious artistic direction, but above all it has (paradoxically) the energy of someone who has their whole life ahead of them.
In fact, we are talking about an hour and seven minutes (practically doubled compared to the second album) of songs, stylistically and lyrically cohesive. From the Reedian flow adapted to the guttural and grainy timbre, from blues flashes and, just when needed, from fiery guitars and electronic beats in the first case; from the sardonic irony of the old man who saw them all in the second. After all, Peter also polished himself up and put on his suit for special occasions, with the important shoulder pads on the jacket and the rectangular mask sunglasses, to take an already iconic cover photo.
It's a losing battle, tryin' to be sane
It leaves me tired and listless
If I'm gonna jump in front of a train
I'll wait until after Christmas
don't wanna overstay my welcome
don't wanna overstay my welcome
Peter sings in the album's opening song and manifesto, a hypnotic dance dictated by a riff Velvettian aptly titled “I Wanna Go With Dignity”. This opens the disk of a motherfucker aware of still having little time available, but determined to live every minute to the full.
And so here he joins the team made up of his sons Jamie and Peter Jr (guitar and bass respectively) with an intergenerational crew, ranging from Bobby Gillespie to Carlos O' Connell (Fontaines DC) and Alice Go (Dream Wife), for a ” Disinfectant” syncopated, rocky, which proceeds quickly up to a finale characterized by the most burning guitar swoon – later Johnny Marr will also appear among the guests. There is no shortage of other cutting and sharp moments, think of a “Women Gone Bad” which even winks at the prototypical industrial of Suicide or the stinging distortions in the background of “Back In The Hole”, sung by one who is “in the hole” he lived a long time. “The Cleansing”, literally the cleaning, is however also a record of soft and enlightening songs, where Perrett's formula weaves soft textures and meets refrains with a classic flavor (“Fountain Of You”, “Solitary Confinement”, but above all “Less Than Nothing”).
Peter Perrett has never been so convincing and direct, maturity has not necessarily been transformed into awareness, the inevitable confrontation with death, a theme that has characterized the artist's poetics since the days of The Only Ones, is an even more hot now that the artist is fighting against a serious lung disease, from this perspective Peter's reflection on his role as an artist and on dreams defeated by abrupt reality (“Art Is A Disease”) sounds even more bitter. However, “The Cleansing” is not a nostalgic or painful album, the heavy and robust ballad “There For You” and the languid melody “Set The House On Fire” are full of anger and not resignation, and the biting irony of “Do Not Resuscitate” is a narrative challenge that shows that Peter Perrett is more lucid and biting than ever, after all the album opens with a list of suicides which immediately makes it clear how dark (excuse the pun) this new album by musician.
Whether he talks about his human experience, whether he tells imaginary stories of young rockers and girls in love, or whether he refers sardonically to politics or makes irony about modern means of communication (perhaps messing up a bit here), Peter never appears talkative or verbose. With “The Cleansing” the author tries to make up for lost time (“All The Time”), but above all to escape from the inevitable nihilism of many colleagues, and thanks to an intelligent use of metaphors and roaring and joyful sounds he centers the most important and vivid album of his career…
08/11/2024
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
