Everything Gives (Independent)

Scott Perrie is familiar to Vancouver audiences as a member of the energetic roots-pop outfit Redgy Blackout, but he opted to forgo full-band arrangements for his debut EP under his own name. Everything Gives is a solo record in the truest sense of the word: Perrie played every instrument on these six songs, which were recorded in a single day with local engineer Tom Dobrzanski (Said the Whale, We Are the City).

The bare-bones production means that this succinct 19-minute collection resembles an intimate coffee-shop set, with Perrie utilizing a traditional folk setup of acoustic guitar, harmonica, and stomp box. This highlights the songwriter’s raw talent, since the live-off-the-floor performances are impeccable: his guitar plucking is clean and confident, and his smoothly soulful crooning is absolutely note-perfect. This is particularly impressive when he deftly slips into falsetto during “On the Bus”.

Still, it’s hard not to wish for slightly denser arrangements. The environmentally minded “Elegy” features a rare overdub when Perrie doubles his own vocals, and these climaxes are the EP’s most rousing moments. Elsewhere, “Nobody but You” is a tad too soft and saccharine in its romantic declarations and might have benefited from being dirtied up by some backing musicians, while the funky dance-mongering of “Battle of Good Vs Evil (Just Dance)” would have been more convincing with a rhythm section.

Then again, when you’ve got estimable chops like Perrie does, it’s only natural to want to hog the spotlight every once in a while.