Cells to shimmer

Image: Katherine Hayward

All the Night Without Love - Elvis Perkins

You listen to Elvis Perkins sing shame-filled sideglances, swigs of cheap whiskey, hands cupped around ashes:

We walk the aisles aimlessly
With our kills, painlessly
And we go all the night without love.
In the dark and lonely corners
Where we place our drive-thru orders
And we go all the night without love.

And you hear the way he drawls "all" like ahhh or awww, like a chronic ache. And how he pries "love" from his tongue, letter by letter, sticky and slow like a curse, like a taunt. And you learn his story (his real story), one that puts the lie to the thoughtless, irresponsible, everyday misspeaking of the word "tragic." And you think you know what this song is.

But it's not. Hear also the bulbous amble of double bass, garrulous gypsy violin, grinning, chest-hugged ukelele (I think). And ever-present shaker. If you were to part the tapping feet and smash that shaker hard on the dance floor, crack it in half, its guts would spill confetti.

From Ash Wednesday (Amazon, eMusic).

Elvis Perkins' website. And Daytrotter session.