White Fence, White Fence & Family / Perfume vol. 1 (side A)

White Fence's Tim Presley balances the slick commercialism of current indie rock with the awkward reclusive record-nerd persona at the heart of his indie precursors.  Where his last few releases had been gradually emphasizing the slicker and more commercial sides, 2012's White Fence & Family / Perfume vol. 1 moves more to the older indie side of Presley's work.  It is not quite as diverse as his 2010 self-titled debut, but it's more consistently noisier and rougher than even White Fence.  Parts of Family / Perfume vol. 1 seem to be playing too slowly, but the record definitely sounded wrong at 45.  While some digital effects peek out on vocals, the sound bears a recognizable similarity to Bevis Frond.  Where Nick Salomon seemed to be trying to make competent recordings and mostly attained his lo-fi character out of necessity, Presley strives purposefully for a lo-fi sound, and even willfully exaggerates it.  The mastering job here seems to have mostly stayed out of the way, and to have preserved the varying colors of Presley's odd palette.  The clean, geometric design on the cover gives little hint of the dirt found inside.