The production quality of the last couple of Perfume Genius albums has been exemplary. Producer Blake Mills has a way of capturing the albums experimental dalliances with an air of warmth and lush quality, reminiscent of classic albums.

It gives the tracks a gravitas that is often missing in modern song writers who are pushing boundaries, making the interesting compositional style of Perfume Genius accessible to more people.

The track “Jason” is one of many of the many high points of his past few albums. Although the vocal melody starts with a fairly traditional structure, the way the instrumentation is completely shifting throughout the track is far from it. Sections move between electric piano and bass, harpsichord synthesis and strings, and although the versatility of the instruments in these sections is dense, they are all carefully intertwined and enhance the piece, rather than dragging you out of it.

The track ends on an escalating arpeggio on the strings, as the vocals ascend up the scale. This ends the track on an almost whimsical note. “Jason” isn’t the only great track on his album “Set My Heart on Fire Immediately,” but it is a good place to start:

Spotify:

TOTW Playlist: