Last year, I challenged myself to listening to all releases by ever-prolific Lo-fi Goregrind act Perky Macabre. What motivates a man to do the same thing over and over again without too much of any variation has always fascinated me. Exploring a discography so meaninglessly vast and yet so devoid of any variety makes you pay attention to the smallest of details and minuscule differences in workflow and production. Ol’ perky would have an audible metronome count in on some EP’s, but not on others. The snare sound would differ in slight ways and albums would have small differences in production value. In a way, it is like walking down a gallery of abstract expressionist paintings where the approach seems to always be the same, but the effect it has can be different if you try to engage with it. The artist uses his bag of usual tricks here. Samples are plucked from obscure vintage horror movies and way too quiet and Perky Macabre still uses the same 3 drum beats for everything, supporting simple power chord chugging patterns with a guitar tone so crunchy, you would expect it to have some kind of rhythmic impact, yet it never does.
As is also often the case, the bands Perky decides to split with are more interesting. SPÖoÖoÖKY STEVE makes Halloween themed…hip hop? The basis of the sound is definitely a Hip Hop styled drum production. The synths layered on top sound incredibly wet and modulated, but are ultimately just one simple melody played in multiple layers. Imagine the Luigi’s Mansion soundtrack but without the clever arrangements and playful rhythmic syncopation and you have a good grasp about what SPÖoÖoÖKY STEVE sounds like. In an attempt to sound more monstrous, Steve treats his rap vocals similar to how he treats his synths, with multiple layers of modulation slathered generously on top. A lot of the flow gets lost and his vocals meld into the general soundscape. There is no conceivable way I could call his work good, but it has a certain comical quality to it that is enjoyable.
There is little purpose to revisiting an artist like Perky Macabre, but to a degree, that is the point. The underground in the typical meaning of the word does not really exist anymore. With bandcamp and music streaming being as easily accessible as they are, any artist can get heard, discovered and build a fanbase. Perky Macabre et al. don’t seem to be interested in building a fanbase. No matter how much bandcamp discriminates against the Goregrind Tag, Perky Macabre will never abandon it. Perky never changes and has seemingly no desire to. If his music is supposed to be a joke, the literal zero supporters on most of his EP’s suggest that no one finds it particularly funny, either. Maybe that is why I can’t get Perky out of my head – the amount of resilience needed to scream into the void like this for an extended amount of time is seriously impressive.
