Perturbator
Age of Aquarius
NUCLEAR BLAST
It was Heath Ledger’s Joker who said, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Well, time and again, Paris’ Perturbator (one James Kent) has undercut that instruction by issuing, on a name-your-price basis, album after album that have etched a mark on subversive electronic music every bit as deep as the deranged villain’s legacy. The son of two music journalists (wait, we can breed?), Kent’s vocal-free project began in the early 2010s as something of a gnarly nod to John Carpenter’s horror-synth scores as well as that of Drive, the 2011 Ryan Gosling vehicle, so to speak, that made it hip to be squarely in the camp of ’80s neo-noir. A turning point in what seemed like a project with limited appeal occurred later in the decade when Kent roped in a live drummer, ostensibly because demand for his music had reached a level where performing live was beckoning more cunningly than the snake in the Garden of Eden—or, more aptly, Perturbator’s own seductively sexy and grimy soundtracks to movies that hadn’t yet been made.
With Age of Aquarius—which, of course, inverts the uninhibited late-’60s song by The 5th Dimension that foretold of an astrologically destined dawn of an era of love—Kent thrusts his projects into lightspeed by tapping Ulver, Alcest, Greta Link, and Author & Punisher to handle vocal duties. Now, those familiar with Perturbator are surely raising their hand to tell teacher that this isn’t the first time he’s collaborated with singers. In fact, even Link herself took to the mic on a track from 2016’s The Uncanny Valley, which itself marked a turning point in Kent’s endeavor from an antisocial affair into one that, perhaps begrudgingly, accepted the swell of rapid appeal that his first three LPs attracted. But Age of Aquarius, bookended by the Ulver-featuring opening song “Apocalypse Now” and the Alcest-fronted closing title track, finds Perturbator coming closer than ever to blossoming into a full-fledged band.
New Order will undoubtedly spring to mind on the first track, with Ulver vocalist Kristoffer Rygg sounding not unlike Bernard Summer and Kent driving home the comparison with splashy programmed drums. But make no mistake about it, this is not your typical joyful electronic listen. Second song “Lunacy” resurrects Perturbator’s unavoidable draw into the dingy alleyways that continue to make his project the perfect musical accompaniment for the urban dystopia that’s arriving faster than the speedy beats that steady the song. Even the subsequent collaborations on the record, “Venus” (with Author & Punisher) and “Lady Moon” (with Link), revel in the bottom-heavy, gritty filth that gleefully turns Perturbator fans on and surely turns everyone else off.
The aforementioned Alcest team-up is the most curious entry on the album, as it spans more than 10 minutes and, like every good epic song should, is filled with twists and turns in rhythm, tempo, and mood. Could a sing-song album spanning a mere 45 minutes be next on Perturbator’s checklist of dodges and weaves? As always, we’re at his mercy to find out.
