Wilson Marks
Peregrine
Reviewed by Doug Freeman, Fri., June 29, 2018
If the artwork of Wilson Marks' sophomore LP doesn't signal the uncanny, haunting contortions of Peregrine, opener "Save the Nest" sets the tone. The local jazz marksman takes a folkier turn, resulting in a collision of Nick Drake with Ralph White on "Couldn't Drain the Devil," his patient, nasal vocals floating in sustain atop twisted chords and unexpected progressions. Piano tracks "First and Last" and "Tacit" unfold like Randy Newman's softer moments, and "Petrichor" paints a dark, atmospheric, instrumental mural sliding into the more heavily jazz-influenced second half. Mesmerizing and endlessly surprising.
