Live albums are always a little subjective, aren’t they? On the one hand, they serve as a nice little peek into a band’s live show and it’s nice to see the variants between the live songs and studio tracks – especially if performed in a different style to the original material – but on the other hand, if you weren’t able to attend the show, it can be a bit more difficult to fully connect with the release, especially without any visuals.
Imperfect, the new acoustic live album from Aesthetic Perfection is perhaps testament to this. The sound quality of the entire album is spectacular and it’s simply awesome to hear some of the band’s greatest tracks re-imagined in a completely different style but at times, you’re left feeling a little disheartened as a listener – at some points, you can hear people laughing at something that’s happened, and then in others Daniel will comment on how the crowd reacts to things but without the visuals to go with it, you can’t help but feel a little isolated from it all. (However it is worth noting that the DVD accompanying Imperfection does include videos of five songs in the set.)
Some of the albums highlights include the always-catchy Antibody and One And Only is such an emotive and moving performance that sounds so raw that it will make you want to reach for the box of tissues.
Imperfect may have its imperfections, but it’s still an example of a live album done well – it’s a rewarding and intriguing listen that shows another side to Aesthetic Perfection.
7/10
