Album Details

• Artist: Detroit Perfect
• EP:
Detroit Perfect 2
• Label: Disrupter
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: charlesmartel on 2012-08-09

The band's second EP, rather obviously titled Detroit Perfect 2, showcases some talent and ingenuity from the members of the Detroit punk scene. In the same way that their fellow citizens of Motown two generations before took soul and distilled it into three minute snippettes of wonder, Detroit Perfect have taken an obvious punk sound and distilled from it a pure ecstatic joy of playing music, and then mixed it with a variety of touches which turned it from something run-of-the-mill to something with some zest, rather like adding cranberry juice to vodka turns distilled ethanol spirit into a drink rather than a means of getting hogwhimpering drunk in minutes.

"From the Basement" opens as if I was back in the days - powerful yet simple guitar hook, a bit of screaming and some wacky drum sound. So it comes as a surprise to hear the flourish of a flamenco style acoustic guitar providing a signature theme to the melody. The Damned never got this far in '77 though, like the Damned perhaps, Detroit Perfect took less than two minutes to get there. And if you think this is a not to be repeated novelty, think again. "Black Cloud" has a mini acoustic guitar solo followed by a guitar bridge which reminds you of "Turning Japanese" by the Vapours.

The first three tracks of the EP are all frenetic and brief with strong melodies and idiosyncracies which will make you realise that this is something different from the ordinary. The second half is slightly different. The tracks are a bit longer and provide the band with a chance to display something more than a bloody good thrash. Sadly, they do not always rise to the occasion. "I Don't Want to Go Home" starts well, but becomes a little repetitive as the refrain is drummed into you. "Real American" is better and carries with it a political overtone, parodying the sort of macho insensitive posturing which many overseas associate with the projection of US power across the globe. Funnily enough, the final track, an acoustic version of "I Don't Want to Go Home", is actually the best track on the album and the one which shows the ability of the band more than any other. It benefits over its electric version by having clearer vocals and some texture changes in the music which really bring the track to life.

Detroit Perfect are clearly a band which has the potential to make a name for themselves by innovating away from the genre standard. They are at their best when they do, and fall short when they do not. Something to watch out for in the future.

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