Sunday 11 September 2016

ALBUM REVIEW: Purson - “Desire’s Magic Theatre”

By: Kat Hilton
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 29/04/2016
Label: Spinefarm Records

 
 
With all ten songs covering a wide range of sounds and with their anchor firmly planted in the soil of a 1970’s rock garden, the variety within offers solid coverage for various genres. Throughout the album they cleverly combine flecks of The Beatles and Iron Butterfly, with Jazz and Prog to create this smorgasbord of tunage, underpinned by superb production, the result is a warm, organic sound, with complex arrangements and superb melodies producing a rich musical landscape.
 
 
“Desire’s Magic Theatre” CD//DD//LP track Listing  
 
1). Desire's Magic Theatre
2). Electric Landlady
3). Dead Dodo Down
4). Pedigree Chums
5). The Skye Parade
6). The Window Cleaner
7). The Way it is
8). Mr. Howard
9). I Know
10). The Bitter Suite
 
The Review:

Purson made their presence known, as they emerged on the scene three years ago with their highly acclaimed debut “The Circle And The Blue Door”, gaining mass applause as well as hordes of fans with their impressive talent.  A band that amalgamated prog, hard rock and psychedelia with more flair than a pair of 70’s bell bottoms their second album was eagerly awaited by many.
 
From the off, the signature Purson funk is evident, lighting up the speakers with charm, sophistication and shrouded in the heady scent of sandalwood incense, taking the listener on a chilled out, vibe filled trip. Rosalie Cunningham; singer extraordinaire imbues each lyric with soulful underpinnings, harmonising beautifully to produce a tour de force of excellence, through mind boggling melodies and effervescent sound penetrating the ears as well as the psyche.
 
The standout track for me is “Electric Landlady”, a twinkly, funk laden “In A Gadda Da Vida” style throw down with flecks of Hendrix(of course). An ultra-catchy, fuzzy, pop filled number that will fast become an ear worm. “The Window Cleaner” is a mixture of hazy, chilled out verses and brain fogged choruses and “I Know” a sombre acoustic-tinged balled playing on the heart strings. A full eight minutes of “The Bitter Suite” is pure prog perfection really pushing the band firmly into the memory banks of progliness.
With all ten songs covering a wide range of sounds and with their anchor firmly planted in the soil of a 1970’s rock garden, the variety within offers solid coverage for various genres. Throughout the album they cleverly combine flecks of The Beatles and Iron Butterfly, with Jazz and Prog to create this smorgasbord of tunage, underpinned by superb production, the result is a warm, organic sound, with complex arrangements and superb melodies producing a rich musical landscape.
“Desire’s Magic Theatre” is available here
 
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