You can forgive Matt Jefferson for the pretentiousness of his project's name: Pellucid Error (http://www.pelluciderror.com). After all, this is a one-man show, and we all know what kind of mad ideas those isolated days can produce.
Thankfully, Jefferson has not dropped a bomb on our ears; "A Soul Evolution" has a surprising amount of real emotion and solid musical arranging. Jefferson has managed to avoid the excesses which often come with these bedroom recordings.
Radiohead's "Kid A" must've made a lasting impression on Jefferson because that album's paranoid android electronics are clearly evident on "The Apex" and parts of other tracks. However, Jefferson isn't trying to be Thom Yorke. More than half of "A Soul Evolution" consists of instrumentals; think of them as soundtracks for European sci-fi flicks that haven't been filmed yet. "Piece (Peace of the Hour)" and "Alone" are reminiscent of Joy Division but also their neglected instrumental brethren, the Durutti Column. Whether or not Jefferson has actually listened to those artists is unknown; it might just be a coincidence, like the opening minor keys of "Alone" that recalls the Cranes.
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Near the end of the record, Jefferson finally allows us to hear his voice. It is subdued and melancholy, a tad like the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan without his nasally whine.
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