Learning

‘Learning’ is the most beautiful song you will hear this year. I do not exaggerate. Anyone who does not find themselves stunned into silence within the first thirty seconds can be safely described as HEARTLESS. It is a song by Perfume Genius- a singer songwriter; but not one of those annoying oh so sincere, one man, an acoustic guitar and pained expression, like James Blunt or Damien Rice. Instead Perfume Genius has been building up quite a following through the buzz he has created in 2010, but is, in this writer’s opinion, still too unknown (he still doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page).

His songs do not scream for your attention, but they grab it entirely because of what can only be described as a “commanding stillness”. A voice, a piano, and some echoed sounds are all Perfume Genius needs to create beauty. ‘Mr Peterson’ along with title-track ‘Learning’ counts as a highlights from his debut album. ‘Mr Peterson’ details a relationship with a teacher in a manner that lacks resentment, of so many ‘break up songs’, and is instead a thoughtful reflection -“he let me smoke weed in his truck, if I could convince him I loved him enough”. Like all of the songs on _Learning_, on ‘Mr Peterson’, Perfume Genius demonstrates a truly unique ability to attach poignancy to everyday suburbia in such a way that you can’t help but listen.