REVIEW
PURSON
IN THE MEANTIME
MACHINE ELF RECORDS
by Alex Buckellew
Following their much vaunted debut album,
Purson re-emerges triumphantly from a haze of hookah smoke and incense
for their new e.p. In The Meantime.
Eschewing any metal
conventions in exchange for brilliantly executed retro-psychedelia, In
The Meantime starts strong with "Death's Kiss". The song puts Rosalie
Campbell's powerful voice in the forefront of a churning rock ensemble
fortified with heavy organ and flute, evoking an alternate universe
where Mellow Candle's Clodagh Simonds sang lead for The Strawberry Alarm
Clock.
"Danse Macabre" continues with a riff similar
enough to its predecessor that you'd be forgiven for thinking it a
continuation of that track. It's rawer and muddier though, the vocals
more buried in the mix, making it the weakest on the record.
"Wanted Man" slows down the tempo and adds the obligatory mid-song acid
freakout. Purson, however, remembers what many of their psych-rock
contemporaries don't - that such indulgences work best built around a
strong hook, and "Wanted Man"'s trippy midsection is sandwiched between a
riff that sounds like it was plucked from the brains of the original
Alice Cooper band.
The e.p.'s closer is at times spooky
and heavy, and sporting a middle-eastern vibe. "I Will Be Good"
Campbell purrs the track's title - based on this record and their career
thus far, it's a safe prediction.
No comments:
Post a Comment