Psych-rock specialists The Purrs will be headlining the Sunset Tavern on September 15th. The Purrs, fronted by bassist Jima and celebrating their tenth year as a band, model their sound fairly closely to everything Dean Wareham's been a part of, specifically Luna- which means high register vocals constantly threatening to be off key, cozy oohs and aahhs, and astral guitar riffs that seem to, in almost everyone composition, ascend into ethereal realms of reverb. Basically, I think they're awesome. Sharing the bill with the Purrs will be Useless Keys and Hypatia Lake.
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"We were just saying that after we release our next record we’ll be able to buy an island — a kitchen island,” cracks Jima, frontman of long-running Seattle psych-pop band the Purrs. With a tumbler of Maker’s Mark in front of him, straggly bangs brushed across his forehead, Jima looks every bit the veteran of the garage band trenches.
Seated with him at a candlelit table at Gainsbourg, a bar in north Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood, are the rest of the band — guitarists Jason Milne and Liz Herrin and drummer Craig Keller. Perpetual underdogs of the Seattle rock scene, the Purrs celebrated their tenth anniversary last summer with the release of Tearing Down Paisley Garden, a seven-song album of their trademark catchy, psych-inflected garage rock. Obviously, a lot can happen over the course of a decade. But as far as their approach, “The only thing that’s changed is our rhythm guitarist,” says Jima. “We’ve had, like, six.”
Currently the band is coasting on a wave of energy brought on by the introduction of Herrin, whom they recruited from her day job selling guitars at American Music. Since they discovered her talents, she’s become a hot commodity, and other bands have tried to poach her at several recent shows. Heated words were exchanged, but Herrin says you couldn’t pay her to leave. “That’s funny,” drummer Keller chimes in, “You could pay me any money and I’d leave.”
That’s the kind of band the Purrs are. They have a sense of humor about being a hard-working but under-appreciated act. And despite Jima’s claim that nothing’s changed in the past decade, it’s clear they’ve gained some perspective.
“It’s about having realistic goals — keep my day job, tour as much as I can without losing my house,” says Jima. “I’ve seen bands take risks in their personal lives for fame. It’s more important to build a body of work.”
Milne concurs. “When we started, we were gonna make it, open for Pavement, quit our jobs, but that’s not a reality. We’ve made it so we don’t have to destroy our personal lives to be in a band,” he says.
Everyone in the band agrees it’s easier to “be mellow,” as Jima says. In other words, it’s better to yo-yo up and down I-5 a few times a year, playing to dedicated fans, than expend the massive resources needed to launch a national tour. “All the fans you had before died of old age by the time you played Chicago again,” says Jima.
While not what you normally hear from fresh-faced bands just starting out, his practical attitude is the opposite of cynicism. Imagine what would happen if a band like the Purrs were motivated purely by money, fame, or some other measure of success. They would have given up long ago, instead of releasing six albums of smart, infectious songs. Their longevity is a testament to the fact that they love what they do, and that right there is a much purer form of success.
And they’re not giving up any time soon. Says Jima: “I want to do this forever.”
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"Better late than never" is the mantra I've repeated daily, several times a day, since I first heard our new Pick of the Week. (Quite a lot of mumbling and self-flagellation, too, for being so slow to get to them.) Anyway, it's Seattle's own The Purrs! Brilliant band, brilliantly rendered tracks, and fully realized albums. All of 'em.
Their latest, the above-pictured Tearing Down Paisley Garden, from 2010 is hard to move on from, meaning: once you start it's hard to move on to something else. Same goes for the 2009 release, Amused, Confused & More Bad News!
Here's the Blurt review of Tearing Down Paisley Garden:
" Seattle's Purrs well remember the Paisley Underground, not to mention the British psychedelic pop explosion. If that makes the band sound like it's stuck in the ‘80s underground, well, so what? Tearing Down Paisley Garden makes it clear the quartet has a thorough and loving understanding of acid guitar pop, not to mention the chops to pull it off. Between smart covers of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's "Only Dreaming" and Lee Hazelwood's "I Move Around" and stylish originals like "Always Something in My Way" and "Just a Little More," the Purrs handily demonstrate that they know just what to do with a dreamy melody, a languid tempo and a psilocybin haze. Tearing Down Paisley Garden isn't so much retro as timeless. "
(Mmmm, "psilocybin haze" has me caught in a feedback loop.)
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Over their 10-year career, the Purrs have exuded, above all else, a supreme sense of confidence. Every song is lavishly produced and drenched in gorgeous guitar work, every lyric almost off-handedly intoned by lead singer Jima. The casual mixing and matching of rockabilly and psychedelia and shoegaze - it all speaks to the kind of intrinsic confidence (and the talent to back it up) that all rock bands strive for. The seeming effortlessness of the Purrs only adds to their hypnotic allure. Comparisons with bands like the Brian Jonestown Massacre or the Verve notwithstanding, the Purrs have managed to quietly carve out a niche for themselves in the admittedly overcrowded psychedelia scene. Saturday finds them sharing a bill with lively punk rockers Red Hex, an excitingly unlikely pairing if ever there was one. - Rev. Adam McKinney
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Always enjoyable, The Purrs hit us with a quick seven song EP to keep us happy. We get five originals, and two covers, which are very nice choices. “I Move Around” by Lee Hazlewood, and Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry’s “Only Dreaming. These songs slide right into the flow, that sort of drawling dream drugged flavor that shines and pops across a landscape of early Warholisms. Brian Jonestown Dandy Underground with a special Seattle twist. Singer Jima moves around in some neo-Lou Reed style, while the music surrounds with psychedelic whams across fuzztones. The drums keep it held steady and building, and the dynamics and harmonics can hit just right, like a stained glass window seen through a smoked haze at sunset. (thepurrs.com)
Seattle's Purrs well remember the Paisley Underground, not to mention the British psychedelic pop explosion. If that makes the band sound like it's stuck in the ‘80s underground, well, so what? Tearing Down Paisley Garden makes it clear the quartet has a thorough and loving understanding of acid guitar pop, not to mention the chops to pull it off. Between smart covers of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's "Only Dreaming" and Lee Hazelwood's "I Move Around" and stylish originals like "Always Something in My Way" and "Just a Little More," the Purrs handily demonstrate that they know just what to do with a dreamy melody, a languid tempo and a psilocybin haze. Tearing Down Paisley Garden isn't so much retro as timeless.
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Released in May, this is another in the occasional series “albums that should have been reviewed ages ago”, as the Purrs again demonstrate that they have everything it takes to break through whilst retaining a musical integrity and style. Now ten years and six releases into their career, you get the feeling that the moment of stardom has passed them by, which is a damn shame as their mix of Lou Reed cynicism, jangly guitars and quality melodies seems perfect for that crossover. On the plus side, they continue to make wonderful music, with this seven track album being one of their finest moments.
Opening with the sugared rush of “Only Dreaming”, the band are in fine form, echoes of The Church to be heard as the soaring guitar fills launch the album in perfect style, whilst the lyrics maintain the humour and downbeat point of view of previous releases. The fact that it is a cover of a Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, seems like an aside, so perfectly does it fit the sound of the band, as does the cover of Lee Hazelwood's “Always Something in my Way”, which closes the album in a swirling paisley jangle, proving eclectic musical influences, if nothing else.
Moving back a bit, “Just a Little More” has a wonderfully distorted wah guitar washes running through, adding a sense of decay to the autumn feel of the song, the theme of crumbling society replacing the old with an even worse version of the same thing, beautifully imagined in the music. More paisley pop loveliness can be found on “It Could Be So Wonderful”, an anthemic slice of sound that needs to be turned up for full effect, bet it is a live favourite. More introspective, the downward spiral of “I'm Slipping” is a beautifully realised gem, perfect for those broken relationship moments that we have all experienced, regret and sadness expressed with clarity and a wry humour.
After the slightly treading-water feel of their previous album “Amused Confused and More Bad News”, I am seriously delighted to report that this album gets better the more you listen, now all we need is another 11 minute psychedelic cloud of bliss such as “Creeping Coastline of Lights”, which can be found on their first EP and still remains my favourite moment from The Purrs.
Local band The Purrs, with their dark melodic sounds, edgy guitars, and groovy bass lines, have been a staple in Seattle's psychedelic pop scene for over the past 10 years. I decided to catch up with them to see how things are going 10 years in.
I arrived at Jason Milne's house just as the band finishes an intense practice session in the basement. Sweaty and exhausted, the band ascends into the living room, where, after the mood is set with psychedelic wall projections and scotch pours all around, I sit down with them to talk about the band's 10 year resilience, the kidnapping of Sunset Valley and Little Pieces front man, Herman Jolly, and “pie in the sky”.
You guys just celebrated your 10 year anniversary. When was the actual date … hasn't it passed?
Jason Miln (JM): I think it was in the later half of 2000 because the first half of 2000 we were kind of a different formation with a different person singing. I think we're close to that exact 10 year anniversary.
Jima (J): We just don't know where that specific day is.
Herman Jolly (HJ): If you cut them [in half] and count the rings…it's about 10.
(Laughter explodes)
10 years is a long time. What keeps you guys going strong when other bands have come and gone?
J: If you don't pursue the things you're supposed to pursue during the course of a normal human life. If you can do that, then you can be in a band for 10 years; especially a band that doesn't pay.
Is that true for all of you?
Craig Keller (CH): I was gonna say that liking the music, and uh… the people…
(Laughter)
JM: Yeah, I think I was gonna say the same thing. I mean, I think we get along and we're all very much into the music we're doing, and we have a lot of fun doing it. In fact, if we could do that instead of our jobs, that would be the ideal situation.
J: But if you think of 10 years through a normal person's life there are so many forces and things they would do in a 10 year span that could easily pull them away from doing music. I mean, there are things that could happen. You could move to another town for another job. You could decide to get married…
So many things could happen in the course of your life to change your direction, and yet that's what's so remarkable, because you've been together for so long that you've maintained it.
J: Right, especially without being paid. I mean, I think it's a lot easier to be in a band for 10 years if you make enough money that you don't have to do your day job and pay your mortgage in any honest way, you know? …you have to actually have a stupid job during the day and your band at night.
JM: I don't know and I think, I'm not sure if I'm speaking for you guys, but I think the band is what we do, playing music is what I think gets me through the regular rut of working the regular job. This is the release. This is the fun. This is what we wish we could always do.
J: I would completely agree with that. That's how I decided to arrange my life. I try to surround myself with people who have the same sort of goal.
Along those lines, what would you say has been your biggest challenge?
J: Well, personally, every band's got one position they can never keep filled and ours has always been rhythm guitar. So, our one big challenge is every couple of years we have to slough off the exoskeleton of a rhythm guitar player and grow a new one.
(Laughter)
J: It makes you un-gigable for however long a period of time it takes until you can get rhythm guitar boy or girl up to speed. So that's been a challenge, cause about every 2 years we tend to get a new one. They decide to do something else with their lives. I mean, people go and do other things with their lives. I completely understand that. I decided I didn't want that for me. Another thing, which is a big challenge, is to write songs that everybody in the band can get behind. You know? I mean, whatever your song writing process as a group is, it's gotta be something that everybody can deal with and it's gotta be there for the long haul…But you gotta put that ego behind you and go, “what's serving the song better?” typically. And typically that's what we do. I mean, we don't jack off a lot on our songs, right?
JM: No, we're cutting that out. Trying to…
(Laughter)
Speaking of which… (Laughter) Each of your albums has its own feel. How has your music evolved over the years since you started playing music together?
JM: I think part of that's random. Um, well, maybe semi-random. Based on the songs that come in that we play… we never talk about a certain feel for the next record. Sometimes we say, “Oh, the next one is gonna be all wah or whatever…
J: But it never happens.
JM: No, no. I mean, basically Jim brings in the songs. Over the years we've gotten better at learning them, working them together. Figuring out what works and what doesn't. We've become more streamlined in that process of getting ready to record or to play out live. You know, we don't try to make each record sound a certain way. I think it's just the way it happens. There's no master plan that we have.
Herman Jolly has recently joined your line up (temporarily). How were you able to coerce him into playing with The Purrs?
JM: A lot of trickery.
HJ: Have you ever seen those movies where someone comes up behind them with gauze and chloroform? I woke up in a basement.
(Everyone laughs)
JM: We let him up to feed him, then after we get back from work, he gets back up to rehearse and crap in a bucket.(Laughter)
HJ: I knew they were without a rhythm guitarist, harmony singer. I didn't hear anything about it for a while. Then I got an email saying, do you wanna do that stuff in the band for and I just said yes. My band, Little Pieces, we toured with them and played lots of show with these guys and when you hear them every night and listen to their records you really realize the genius in the music. It's kinda like I get to be in a tribute band that's actually the real band, just for a little while, just for this show. And it's this super cool opportunity. I hope they find someone good to do it permanently. But then when they play down in Portland, where I'm moving in a couple weeks, I hope that I get to jump up and get to sing on ” Loose Talk”.
I hear the next album is already in the works. What can Purrs fans expect and when can they expect it? Maybe next year?
J: We are working on the record. We're in the middle of six songs right now. And there's definitely more coming, but we're sort of taking our time cause we're looking for our permanent fourth for our next push.
One of your songs on the album is called “Pie in the Sky”. What do The Purrs' consider to be “Pie in the Sky”?
JM: Quit our jobs and just play music.
J: Yeah, but you've gotta have something more concrete behind you other than you just want to go there, right? You gotta do the things that actually get you there. I love our music, I love this band and I hope someday we can… [In the meantime] we're gonna continue to put out really good records and build on the fan base that we have. Our goal has always been to play bars, as many as possible, as often as possible, and towards that end, I think we're a total freakin' success. Quitting our day jobs would be great, but that's not the goal, the goal is to have as much fun as humanly possible before we're snuffed out.
I love your latest album and I like that it's a combination of new songs and rare tracks. There are two cover tracks. You've got the 80's hit “Only Dreaming” by Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and Lee Hazelwood's” I Move Around”. These are two very different artists. What is it about these songs that made you want to cover them and the influence they've had on you?
J: This RLYL song has been in my head since the day I saw it on MTV in like, '84. There was a video, I can remember this … they had actually taken their video camera to a fairground somewhere and went around one of those spider rides or whatever and just let the lights go around and interspersed that with this guy in a wife beater going, “ughr, ughr, ughr, ughr, ughr…” and that was the whole fuckin' video. It impacted me greatly [because] there's this bass line hook in the song and it hooked me forever and I always felt that song was just, so… They just screwed it up so bad, right? Have you ever heard the original? It's almost unlistenable, it such garbage. I'm like, why would anyone take such a beautiful fuckin' hooky riff and just flush it down the toilet. Obviously this needs to be done by someone else. It had to be done right. It blows my mind that they couldn't see the crystalline beauty that was that song and they have to crap all over it with their mediocre bullshit. It has been hanging over my head for like 15 years.
The Lee Hazelwood song was covered for a completely different reason. Have you heard the Lee Hazelwood original? It's brilliant. There's no way that song was done wrong. That song fit with our sorta happy sad melancholy happy thing we have going on and it was a good fit for us. That song didn't need to be redone because it was an incompetent job first time around. I just thought the lyrics were really cool. Only an idiotic band would want to do only songs that were cool. What kind of band does that?
(Laughter)
J: I mean, seriously, you ask a band why they do a song and they say, “cuz it sucks!”. I mean, no one does that.
JM: Except for you with Red Lorry Yellow Lorry!
(Explosive laughter)
J: The song had obvious elements that were so brilliant and they just dropped the ball; and the fact that they wrote those elements is doubly weird. Why?!?! Can you put a link to the original so people know what I'm talking about? Because you'll hear it. You'll hear it!
Seismic-Sound.com would like to thank The Purrs for their time. The Purrs play the Tractor Tavern with Shonen Knife and The Pharmacy on Wednesday, Sept. 8th.
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This comes at you with more attitude than a runaway rhino, but there’s no blind rage involved. This is farsighted stuff, with these chaps having one eye on the now and the other on the horizon. A sort of ‘from the stable of the Strokes’ opener is followed by a ‘Oh, is this a Brian Jonestown Massacre track?’, and “It Could Be So Wonderful” (track 3) is almost exactly that again, but not quite, because it’s wonderful, actually, with a hint of Mary Chain guitar. These boys really do know how to put an album together, even when the parts are as disparate as a bag of cheap jewelry tossed on the table.
When it comes to these tracks, of course, that cheap jewelry is a misnomer, as they are gems in their own right, and should be compared to some of the classic indie rock music of recent times.
Another thing – this is sprightly stuff indeed, clocking in at a little over thirty minutes, which means you can absorb the music nice and easy, and there is no hanging about. Each track launches itself at your inner psyche, jazzes it up nicely, and departs before you know it.
I’ve never heard of ‘em before and yet, this is their sixth album… whaa? Where have I been? This has to be their best yet, otherwise we might all find ourselves in court being charged and found guilty of criminal neglect (of a very tight band playing some great indie pop/rock). Kev A.
Seattle four piece The Purrs have managed to take the holy ghost of The Jesus And Mary Chain, mixed in the spirit of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and delivered a modern sounding 7 track mini-album that doesn’t hang around for long, leaving you wanting more.
Only Dreaming and Just A little More set the opening standard high and they don’t lower them at any point, I’m Slipping is wonderful and the closer Always Something In My Way has a shady, rumble to it that gets under your skin enough to make you reach for the play button again.
They may wear potential influences (they don’t directly list these two bands) on their sleeves, but they have also thrown in their own edge and thats what sets them apart from a lot of bands…well worth a listen folks.
You know when Alan McGee declares a band to be the best he’s heard EVER - these senior moments which usually involve an act who’ve studied Wheeler 18 to the last clodhopping riff and seem to crop up every couple of weeks? Well, he could save himself a lot of trouble by simply nabbing a copy of this album by Seattle’s The Purrs. Broadly, and not in a ‘mean’ kind of way, the band sound like they’ve absorbed a little bit of everything Creation during the ten years they’ve been on the go. From the opener ‘Only Dreaming’ - roughly equal measures of Teenage Fanclub and the Jesus and Mary Chain - the band exude little sparks of UK indiepop, with their own songwriting credentials the glue that holds everything together. It’s not quite all Creation-inspired but you can be sure McGee would be palpitating at this lot - ‘Just A Little More’ is kind of like the TV Personalities but with some Swervedriver sonics and a vague Velvets drawl. There’s hints of Glasvegas and chums too, but happily, nothing quite plumbing the depths of the brothers Gallagher. Oddly, there’s little feel of their home city, Seattle - but then again, what has ever come out of the Pacific northwest worth shouting about?
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EvilSponge has been following Seattle's The Purrs for many years now. In fact, this is the fifth Purrs release that i have reviewed, and it is one of their best to date. It is the follow-up to 2009's Amused, Confused & More Bad News, which was the most hit-or-miss of their albums. On that record, The Purrs seemed to be unsure of whether or not they wanted to go in a more slow blues direction, or continue to make noisy Britpop.
The very first song on Tearing Down Paisley Garden answers that question in a most satisfactory manner. The Purrs kick things off with Only Dreaming, which is a cover of a song originally by Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry. RLYL were a somewhat obscure English goth act of the 1980s. I never really got into them that much, but some of the goth kids i went to high school with were really into them... The Purrs take this vaguely goth-y tune and turn it into a noisy, psychedelic romp. The guitars really soar here, and vocalist Jima does his best to sing in a disaffected goth manner.
The Purrs start off the next track, Just A Little More with one guitar strumming forcefully and the other tremoloing away. This song really hearkens back to Don't Stop Kicking Me Down off of 2005's The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. This is nice, slow, psychedelic pop.
It Could Be So Wonderful is more of a rocker, with the front layer of guitar grinding away under a nice layer of distortion, while the under layer chimes lightly. On the choruses, the band suddenly harmonize in bright sunshiny pop. Seriously -- when did The Purrs start channeling The Monkees? This might be the poppiest thing that they have ever done. Why is this not a hit?
The Purrs slow things down with I'm Slipping. This is along the veins of the slow blues numbers that dominated the previous record. Here, it comes across more like a slowcore pop song. Jima sings mournfully, and the guitars whine along mopily. And then, on the chorus it becomes a catchy dreampop song. The guitars soar, and there are even backing vocals behind Jima. It's a really lovely little tune.
The speed picks up a little with Pie In The Sky. Here, the guitarists do their best to channel The Church, really playing in that two layered Wilson-Piper and Koppes manner, one guitar strumming away and the other playing distorted notes. It moves along at a good pace, and is a decent song. It Could Be So Wonderful does the same thing better, but still this is not a bad tune.
The second cover on the album is next: I Move Around which was originally by Lee Hazelwood. (He was a country singer-songwriter in the 60s, apparently.) The dueling guitarwork of The Purrs is pretty well suited to this type of music, and it comes across pretty well. The lyrics are typical mournful country, but Jima sings them progressively more maniacally as he sings about the places he had been. I am in no way familiar with the original, but The Purrs have made this into a song of neurotic escapism, and it really works.
Finally, the album ends with Always Something In My Way, another mid-paced number. This one doesn't rock, but it gets the job done. Jima sings in an almost whiney manner, which is a little unusual for him, while someone adds wordless backing vocals. (The backing vocals are something i have never noticed in the work of The Purrs before. Are they new, or just more noticeable on this record? Hmmm...) Meanwhile, the guitars chime along. It is a satisfying end to the record.
Overall, this is a tight little album. It clocks in at just over half an hour, so it is almost an EP. Whatever. The Purrs have impressed once again.
A decade into their career and The Purrs have hit a rich vein of form. Tearing Down Paisley Garden follows less than a year since their marvellous 2009 album Amused, Confused & More Bad News and continues on with that record's prominent soaring riffs and woozy guitars.
The album opens with a cover of 'Only Dreaming' by Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. The 1988 original - a dark, drab bass and semi-industrial dirge - is picked up and enveloped with swirling guitar lines with six-string jangle replacing the four-string doom.
The lyrical themes of the album are The Purrs' typical "being in a band, getting drunk and the world sucks" - the song titles themselves like 'I'm Slipping', 'It Could Be So Wonderful' and 'Always 'Something in My Way' reveal the more lamenting-nature of the band. It never comes across as mere feeble wallowing though. While they've probably seen more of the bottom of a bottle than the top of the pops, they have soaked in all the great records and sounds in the process. Redemption is just a great riff away as the band pour out their pain through their pedals.
A Lee Hazlewood cover, 'I Move Around', features as the penultimate track, and never has country sounded so cavernous. Tearing Down Paisley Garden is a great soundtrack for savouring the small victories, and accompanying the gritty challenge of real and unembellished life. -- ANDY RYAN
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The sound of grinding guitar right from the off heralds the arrival of the new album from The Purrs. This is their sixth release in total and there is a definite underground retro feel to the music of this Seattle based four- piece with mood and feeling taking preference over melody or hook. The guitar duo of Jason Milne and Bob Silverton must have wrists of steel such is the non-stop nature of the jangly guitar sound which nicely tempers the more monotone voice of lead vocalist and bassist Jima. Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Fall, comparisons can be made with all due to the distinctive guitar heavy feel, but make no mistake, the formula is tried and tested and will always have its place in music, a point backed up the fact that The Purrs have now been going strong for ten years.
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Seattle band The Purrs are a decade old and releasing their sixth album. The lead-off track, however, is a cover of ‘Only Dreaming’ by gothic Leeds ‘80s also-rans Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, which is here turned into dreamy 60s-styled drone-pop. They sound a lot like the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and a little like The Church, throwing in some stunning guitar riffs on their cover of Lee Hazelwood’s ‘I Move Around’. Of their own songs, the psych-pop ‘Pie In The Sky’ stands out for its eco-warrior, anti-consumerist stance and the brilliantly fizzing, skyrocketing guitars that close it. They have a nice line in melancholy and their shoegaze-meets-psych-pop sound is one that never loses its attraction.
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Pent-up, viciously provoked, ready to shred psycho killer line-up this Thursday night at the Crocodile (June 24) as The Purrs give an official release for their delectable collection of new songs, rare tracks, and covers, Tearing Down Paisley Garden.
The CD has been available for a few weeks now, and has been gaining new fans who hadn't the chance to fall deeply in love with thoughtful, caustic, clever previous long-players Amused, Confused & More Bad News, The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together, and The Dreams Are Stuff Are Made Of. But this is the official kick off party to begin celebrating new Purrs material, a feisty band about to spring out of nowhere on tour and clobber the world before it can defend itself. Bad ass, but charming as hell. Eat this up, as a new full-length isn't till next spring.
That description could also easily be applied to Brent Amaker & the Rodeo, just signed to one of my very favorite labels Sparkle & Shine (who have also released must-own albums from The Tripwires and Curtains For You). BAR have deep black thoughts to match their villain-dark clothes, singing about love wounds and having to steal your girl and kick your ass while Bunny Monroe dances on stage like that hot mess lady in Blue Velvet on top of the Dennis Hopper (R.I.P.) joy ride. You can see this beyond-C&W/punk-spirit band playing in a house of hedonistic abuse out on the edge of town, where corruption is worn like a uniform and a end-of-night stomach pump is just another part of the holiday festivities. Please Stand By is their third release and debut for S&S, and I plan to pick up a copy of it the first day it's available, hopefully before their appearance at this year's Bumbershoot so I can drunkenly sing along to all the words of the new songs.
Opening band Battle Hymns are just as fun and intense as their musical brothers in the line-up, and I'm eager to hear their Hidden Reservations, which is about to explode on the world as well.
The Color Awesome’s newest friends and one of Seattle’s hardest working bands is having a CD release show this coming Thursday evening, June 24th.
I got the CD from the band and I have to say, I’m impressed that they are still relevant. The opening track of Tearing Down Paisley Garden, “Only Dreaming” is a pop gem you’ll be adding to your summer play list; the rest of it is great too. More of a mini album, Tearing Down Paisley Garden clocks in at around 30 minutes. I love shorter works like this; it makes you kind of want to listen to it over and over again! Up and coming bands take note; just because you have 80 minutes on a CD doesn’t mean you have to use it.
The Purrs have nailed it. Frankly, when I turn on the radio I want to hear something like them – not some of the crybaby indie rock which is so popular right now. The Purrs sound like whiskey, cigarettes and dive bars; they’re a perfect example of why Seattle is known as a no bullshit rock and roll town.
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The Purrs aren't new to this game. When the Seattle psych-rock band (which needs two hands worth of fingers to count its years together, and recently released its sixth record, Tearing Down Paisley Garden) hits Tacoma this week, they'll know exactly what to do. Jima, The Purrs' singer, will be right at home leading the constructively spacey, dare we say paisley, rock jams; the deadpan vocals adding the perfect lockstep to the band's Velvet Underground-hued, sour, druggy, musically soaring and lamenting disposition. Basically, songs like "It Could Be So Wonderful," and even the band's cover of Lee Hazlewood's "I Move Around," are good EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT HIGH - which for a band often branded as "psychedelic," is saying quite a bit.
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I’ve not been shy about heaping praise upon the Purrs, one of Seattle’s best and longest-running psych-pop bands. Their last full-length, Amused, Confused & More Bad News, still gets regular listens from me and my stereo given its all-around atmospheric attractiveness. I must say, though, it’s a tough thing to be an active fan of a band that seems to never catch the ear of the greater public. It’s not like there hasn’t been plenty of digital ink spilled recognizing their feats, as evidenced by a simple gander of the ‘Press’ page on their website. I realize many music fans prefer this pseudo-anonymity for their favorite gems, preserving against the wrath of anything remotely mainstream. But “mainstream” is out of my sphere of thought here; I just want them to headline the Showbox or something. As I’ve said before, they play the part of the underdog well, but I just wonder when the tipping point for a 10-year old talented band without a sizable cleave into the collective consciousness might take place.
I have a feeling the Purrs may be wondering the same thing. While they’ve always had the inclination to wallow in the doldrums, and mostly continue that trend on Tearing Down Paisley Garden, the band sounds almost as if the lack of big-time success is wearing them down. To wit, on the EP’s centerpiece “Pie In The Sky”, bassist/vocalist Jima laments, “I can’t seem to reach the pie in the sky”. Honestly, it’s a fine tune, but there is a palpable despondency that genuinely permeates the song, and really the entire record. The guitars don’t sound quite as nasty, the mood quite as carefree, or the production quite as happily hazy. Perhaps this was the intent, but that blithe irritability from earlier efforts is missing (“Just A Little More” asks “who are you to bring me down?”—ha). For the record, “It Could Be So Wonderful” is an excellent barn-burning bubbler and could’ve ably fit right in on Amused.
In the end, though, this mini-album doesn’t strike me as the end-all-be-all of the what the Purrs can produce. If a new full-length is on the way (and it is), I’m willing to pass off Tearing Down Paisley Garden as a jaded outcrop of busted dreams and sit tight for the next one. Perhaps if you check out a show or buy one of their records, it might cheer the guys up.
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Tearing Down Paisley Garden is a seven song mini-album from Seattle's The Purrs that essentially will hold over fans, as the group continues to work on their next full-length recording. That does not mean that this release is not worthy of your attention because it follows the style and groove of last year's excellent Amused, Confused & More Bad News [2009]. The band offers up several covers like the opening track "Only Dreaming", which was originally an 80's hit by Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry and "I Move Around" from legendary country singer Lee Hazlewood. Both are entertaining but the real fun is on The Purrs originals, as the band newly recorded live favorite "Just A Little More", which is one of the best tracks they have released with its confident drone swagger of a chorus line and the alternate backing vocals, that let you join in as the song builds in intensity. That urgency is what makes a Purrs release stick as Tearing Down Paisley Garden has an undertone of grit, just the right amount of reverb and plenty of smoldering hooks to take you on their psych-rock ride journey and not really care if you ever return!
Their sixth release, Tearing Down Paisley Garden, represents another solid effort from this Seattle quartet. Despite the title, it sounds more like the Purrs are cultivating the same sonic plot they first laid down in 2006 (think Rain Parade and the Church). Back then, I noted that they produce "a nice strong dose of psych-pop" with "languid numbers" that "spiral and unfurl into the air like smoke."
Four years later, their formula remains much the same. There's nothing wrong with that; if you liked it then, you'll like it now.
And maybe it's partly because the Rolling Stones are all over the place again, what with the reissue of Exile on Main Street, but Jima sounds more like Mick Jagger than ever before, something I missed in the past, helping to set this EP apart from previous output.
Also, they do such a good job at blending these songs together and putting their own stamp on them that I didn't recognize "Only Dreaming" (Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry) and "I Move Around" (Lee Hazlewood) as covers...though I wasn't familiar with either track.
The Purrs kick off their latest EP with a Red Lorry Yellow Lorry Cover. Only Dreaming which comes from the Lorry’s album Nothing Wrong was kind of a plodding dirge from the UK quasi goths. The Purrs on the other hand make the song soar. Guitars come diving in from multiple directions and Jima out disaffects the Lorry’s Chris Reed with his dead-pan vocal. The Purrs vastly improve on the Lorry’s source code, altering it to the point of making it their own.
Tearing Down Paisley Garden seems to be a kind of a stop gap between albums where the band hone their spaced-out paisley rock. It allows them to stretch out and clear the closet of old favorites that they never gave enough attention to, do a couple cover songs, and fit in a couple new ones that didn’t quite fit onto last year’s Amused Confused and More Bad News. Live favorites Just A Little More and It Could Be So Wonderful finally get laid down to tape, and there’s another cover in Lee Hazlewood’s I Move Around. The Purrs have been going for ten years with no signs of slowing. Tearing Down Paisley Garden continues the Church, Luna and contrary to the its title, Paisley Underground direction. The band seem to have the uncanny ability to toss off laid back spacey vibrations without raising their heart rates. Here’s to their continued good health and the next ten years.
At $6.99 for a CD Baby digital download, “Tearing Down Paisley Garden,” the sixth album from long-standing Seattle’s The Purrs is quite a bargain. The band’s sound mines a rich and fertile area between dreampop and an edgier early 1970s sound. Like the heroin-rock of Velvet Underground, bass player and lead singer Jima has a talking/singing style, which is accented by Dr. Robert and Jason Milne (the two guitarists) who play off each other with slightly fuzzy, whammy chords. There’s no real hooks here–just a lot of grooving atmosphere. I mean, there are definitely hooks in the songs, but you won’t notice them. You’ll be too overwhelmed by everything else going on. This isn’t an album, it’s a world.
The opener, “Only Dreaming,” is a cover of a one-hit-wonder (original by Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry), and there’s another cover here as well (Lee Hazlewood’s “I Move Around”), but the rest are originals. Every song is good, but there’s one I want to mention special: “It Could Be So Wonderful.” It’s not that the song stands out or apart from the rest of the songs on Paisley Garden–the album has a definite sound and theme, and doesn’t waver–it’s just that it is so . . . Perfect. Building drum riffs (I haven’t mentioned drummer Craig Keller yet, and he deserves a name-drop for sure), keyboards adding to the urgency, and Oasis-style soaring harmonies . . . It is wonderful indeed. I can’t imagine how tremendous it must be to hear this live.
I’ve listened to this album three times since I received it, and each time I find more here.
The Purrs are a veteran Seattle rock band who have recently put out their sixth release, Tearing Down Paisley Garden, a seven song DIY statement they'll be celebrating the release of with Brent Amaker and the Rodeo and Battle Hymns at the Crocodile on Thursday, June 24, 2010. The reason I'm writing this review a few weeks beforehand is that their music gains so much power by replaying it over and over, I want to encourage old fans and new seekers alike to seek out this mini-album and get into its songs before they see them played live.
Jimo (lead vocals, bass), Rob Silverstein (drums), Jason Milne (guitar), and Craig Keller (drums) have a deceptively straightforward song style, often called "psychedelic" I think because of the ace use of Nuggets-style garage-druggy guitars cushioning the briny observations, bitter laments, and pissed off observations carefully sung like a snug couch on a long, slow, buzzed afternoon. There is no nostalgic over-painting of cheap effects, background vocals oozing everywhere at once, trying to cram in as many mimetic and mnemonic riffs to capture short attention spans. It is exactly in the band's use of restrained stoner euphoria and dejection that makes them sound just as savvy in a rotation next to the power pop of The Only Ones or The Posies as with more gritty bands like The Seeds or The Nomads.
The original and cover songs on this lengthy sampler seem to have been crafted in a period in which we're all sharing, of hesitant hope and brimming outrage over the hollowing of our pockets and relational abilities. Pain mixes with pleasure in the fantasies of "Only Dreaming," a cover of a Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry song that seems like a lighthearted "Venus In Furs": A quietly desperate cry of venue-lingering mopers wanting to feel something new, anything real. "I'm Slipping" casually mentions fucking the friend of a lover, but it's just another betrayal in a world where they all run together, and "I'm losing control." "Pie In The Sky" opens the gas can and lets us smell the promise of burning down all the suburbs and their useless wares that have fallen down around us. An early track, "It Could Be So Wonderful," gets resuscitated here, and it's hard to tell if it's sarcasm or genuine yearning. This is probably answered by "Always Something In My Way" which is ontological protest at its plainest, reminding me of that Bukowski line about wars not driving us utterly mad, it's our shoelace busting in half when we're running late in the morning. In the meantime, a sweet run-through of the Hazelwood gem "I Move Around" offers the only existential solution here. Stay tough, stay free, keep moving.
Tearing Down Paisley Garden is a transitional record, and its content sounds like a bit of a bummer when you describe what its words mean, but it is the work of an extremely bright band in training, still punching the bag hard with some of the best rock poetry in town and a gym full of hooks you might underestimate. Catch them near the end of the month to see how they work this out, catch them on the upcoming spring tour, and be prepared for a feistier major bout with another full length release next spring.
There’s much to be said for a band like the Purrs, with ten years together and six solid releases under its belt. They might not be household names, but they’ve never compromised their music to raise their profile. This is where the music comes out ahead, and Tearing Down Paisley Garden is yet another winner.
At seven songs, Paisley is not quite an EP, though had it been released in 1972, it still might have been considered a full-length album. And then, looking at the makeup of the songs themselves, Paisley could even be called an “odds and ends” kind of collection. “Only Dreaming” and “I Move Around” are covers of songs by ’80s goth rockers Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and the late Nancy Sinatra collaborator Lee Hazlewood, respectively. And “Just a Little More” and “It Could Be So Wonderful” are new recordings of old songs, which explains the oddly out of time reference to “the president” in the former.
In spite of what could easily have been a set-up for a major bomb, Paisley plays like a strikingly cohesive collection, exhibiting all the Purrs trademarks – Jason Milne’s cutting lead guitar lines, Jima’s lackadaisically cool detachment and sarcastic wit, and that reverb-laden, psychedelic shoegazey sound married to seasoned pop songcraft. If there’s anything different about the Purrs this time around, it’s a subtle but noticeable uptick in their mood compared to last year’s excellent Amused, Confused and More Bad News that comes through even in a downer like “I’m Slipping” – which in this case keeps a song about sexual transgressions against a friend from devolving into a pity party. And in the case of the disc’s closing tune, “Always Something In My Way,” the title ends up coming across less as a complaint and more as a celebration of the challenges that would crush a lesser person. Clearly, these Seattle stalwarts are having more fun than ever, which is exactly how a good rock record should sound.
Don’t fight it, just do it right. If you’re experiencing your very own summer of hate this year, you’ll most certainly want to add the Purrs latest album to your rotation. On Pie In The Sky,The Purrs articulate the landscape of American culture in all its homogeneous extremity. “But in this wasteland/There’s nothing that anyone would call home. ” The album is not entirely, ahem, unpatriotic, however. There are beautifully pessimistic songs aplenty. I’m Slipping is a lackadaisical confession of one’s inability to be a dependable lover. “Maybe somehow I will get back my head/But I don’t think so.” On the tambourine heavy and super distorted Only Dreaming (a Red Lory Yellow Lory cover) ,we can recall how well we treat those closest to us while facing a self perpetuated isolation that is best cast by the shadow of being in love.
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For a self-proclaimed antirock ‘n’ roll band,” the Purrs are certainly comfortable with the genre – as demonstrated on their alternately soaring and melancholy fourth full-length album, Amused, Confused & More Bad News. Following their critically acclaimed 2007 release, The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together, the Purrs seamlessly blend a Seattle-ready grunge irreverence with Britpop sensibilities, moody blues and psychedelic, surf-tinged guitar. Opening track “Sister” features a balance of Jason Milne’s aggressive electric guitar, Bob Silverstein’s full-bodied acoustic guitar and lead vocalist Jima’s distinct singing. “I can do better than my sister,” Jima intones, amusingly contrasting his angsty delivery with content focused on lighthearted childhood concerns. With Milne weaving his psychedelic guitar through the cheeky pop melody, it’s like a ‘90s rock kiss-off, ala the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Introduced with a few seconds of studio conversation, “Fear of Flying” finds its center with a pop chorus that blooms into blissful cooing. Jima’s vocals appear with conversational clarity and then peel away subtly as though he were singing off a cliff, adding additional depth to the space created by layered guitars. The dreamy, distilled bridge of “Baby I Want You Back” features stressmelting, open-ended vocals and playful guitar; meanwhile, “Stay Here with Me” and “A Century of Rain” add a perfectly cushiony bass line to sparkling lead guitar and rich back-up vocals. Some tracks switch from idyllic exploration to a slightly deeper intention. The forthright guitar chord that jumpstarts “Feeling Fine,” for instance, decays very quickly into a moodier tone for the rest of the song. Likewise, “Mostly” dives into an atmospheric blues with soft vocals. “Jolly’s Return” warps bizarre vocals over surfrock guitar in a fuzzy space – a beautiful and introspective finish to a less than anti-rock album. (Big Damn Deal Music) Lulu McAllister
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The 4th album from The Purrs finds them maintaining the purple streak that started with 2007s ‘The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together’ (also reviewed on this site), that is to say a sonic adventure into new wave Brit-pop filtered through a West Coast lens. Interesting codas and familiar refrains along with the spiky guitar of The Verve and the brash chutzpah of early Cracker.
‘Sister’ sets the template with its long guitar wig out intro before singer Jima does his best Richard Ashcroft (which is far better to these ears than the original). ‘Stay Here With Me ‘ has a chorus to die for that will have you racking your brains for the source material but it doesn’t matter – this is Supergrass Seattle style. ‘Baby I Want You Back’ a pleasant almost Rain Parade sparkle that boasts a coda that seems to conjure The Small Faces. ‘Century of Rain’ is a slow waltz with a drawled vocal that drags the band kicking and screaming into Cracker territory.
‘The Outpost’ a multivocaled Velvets strum with menacing lead lines that build the drone to a dark chorus which ticks all the appropriate shoegazing boxes. And so it goes. This band should be bigger, they are certainly better at what they do than several far bigger bands but they do lack a killer tune – maybe just one will do for them . ‘Stay Here With Me ‘ is pretty damn close.
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When I got the press release for The Purrs' last album, Amused, Confused and More Bad News, it included a small picture of a man passed out on some gear outside a club in the middle of the night. I was curious about it, so when I sat down with the band Tuesday night in Moe Bar, before their opening set for The Blakes, I asked about it.
"That was in front of Local 506 in Chapel Hill on tour," their lead singer Jima--who happens to be the guy in the picture--admitted. "After the show we went to this other place down the street called the Cavern, in the same town, and got super fucking drunk..."
"They got really drunk," interjected lead guitarist Jason Milne, gesturing to Jima and their drummer, Craig Keller, "and the show was over, and they were kicking us all out together, and I was trying to call them but they were in a cavern, so they couldn't get any reception. And so they didn't come to the van."
"When we got back we were getting the evil eye from everybody because we had abandoned our team-mates, and then I passed out. In the street." Jima paused. "Somebody brought me a futon. I didn't deserve that."
Life of the road, playing shows, and generally burning yourself out is one of the main themes Jima's songs explore. The band is marking its ten-year anniversary this winter, so they have plenty of experience to draw from. "You write what you know," he said with an apologetic chuckle.
The Purrs first made a splash in the local scene with their 2005 debut LP, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of, that felt almost willfully out-of-step with the rest of Seattle music. While most bands garnering attention were either punk, 80's redux, or indie rock in the vein of Death Cab, The Purrs were an odd amalgam of Britpop and psychedelic rock. The band can rock hard, but the drive comes from the rhythm and bass work--Jima plays his bass like a punk rock rhythm guitarist freeing up the guitarists to add color with layers of lush, reverb-heavy guitar. Songs like "Taste of Monday" and "Loose Talk" got regular play on KEXP and stood out for their ability to rock while being a little restrained at the same time.
The band typically gets labeled as "psychedelic" or "post-psychedelic" rock, though that doesn't really do the songwriting justice, which usually leans towards catchy, hooky rock songs. The band did start out more in the chill-stoner vein, though.
"I dug through some old CDs last month, and I found some old recordings of us when we were playing in 2002, 2003, and I mean, it was like 15-minute song, 10-minute song, another 15-minute song. I mean, we did a lot of droning things," said Milne.
"I used to say, we'd get in four songs then leave!" Jima responded, laughing.
Since their first album, the band has delivered two new records, The Chemicals That Keep Us Together (2007) and Amused, which dropped this last August. Over time, the band has toned down some of the more baroque elements they used on the first record, which featured a lot of complex intros and some odd instrumentation that rarely made to concert. At the same time, Jima's songwriting has grown more accessible and direct. "Chemicals for Me," from The Chemicals That Keep Us Together, which also saw play on KEXP, was almost anthemic. But they've generally stuck to the formula of rich, spacey guitars over a solid rock rhythm that sets them apart.
"I think there's a common approach we have for a lot of the songs," explained Milne. "We bring in the songs, we make sure they're arranged well, and they have the hooks. But I think one thing we all conscious about is not getting too 'busy' in what we're doing, having an approach where each instrument has a layer on top of it."
Bob, their new rhythm guitarist who joined the band for Amused (having day jobs, the band can sometimes be less than forthcoming with last names), added: "I think another factor is that because we're recording it ourselves, we're not needing to go into the studio and lay down all our tracks in a week. And when we do our individual tracks, Jim's sitting there with us, sometimes it's just each of us individually with Jim, and we think about all these parts. We listen to what everybody else is doing, we listen to our parts, we do it over again, and then we think we get it and we do it over again, and it's being shaped. The tracks that end up released are just a subset of what we recorded. We might have six or seven guitar tracks recorded, and only two of them make it on the album."
"The Outpost," an odd sci-fi themed exploration of abandonment (Jima's other big theme) exemplifies the approach. There's a long bridge in the song in which Bob and Milne trade off radical guitar sounds, Bob's Telecaster warbling through a phaser or flange at high oscillation, followed by Milne's Jaguar screaming. The sounds are extreme, but the effect is actually sort of pretty, and the heavy reverb adds a certain space to the sound, capturing the sense of being alone that Jima's lyrics are expressing.
"Yeah, we had to turn up his amp really loud" to achieve the right tone while recording, Jima explained, "and our neighbor shut us down one day. He comes over and he's like, 'I can't take that sound anymore,' because we were just recording this screaming for four hours. And his wife had just died the week before, so we took a two-week break when that happened just to let him heal."
Currently, The Purrs are slowly starting work on putting together another three or four songs for an EP they plan to release in the spring, before starting work on their next record. In the interim, they're playing locally and taking a brief trip to New York later this month to play CMJ on October 21.
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Also playing Tuesday, The Purrs will be on hand to bring their unique mix of indie and psych-pop which is sure to get stuck in your head for days. While similar to The Blakes in regards to their infectious lyrics and nearly pop-like catchiness, The Purrs are indeed quite different. A mopey, Eeyore under a rain cloud, undertone can be heard in much of their music but at the same time it doesn’t come off as depressing or heavy. Melodic, memorable and rooted in genuine rock, The Purrs are likely one of Seattle’s best bands everyone has heard yet regrettably no one has heard of.
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More great psychedelic pop from this Seattle-based foursome. Somehow they can take a simple boy loses girl song and transform it into something truly artistic and memorable.
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Though Amused Confused & More Bad News is, ironically, a less gloomy record than 2007's irresistible and tragically unheard The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together, it still goes without saying that the Purrs sound a little too down for the times. Granted, there's still plenty of reason to feel pessimistic in 2009, but the message of hope is still alive in most quarters. And yet the Purrs' leader, Jima, is compelled to sing "here it comes again / a century of rain."
Perhaps it's just the lingering effect of living in Seattle for so many years combined with operating in the shadows, so to speak. Regardless, few do mopey as brilliantly as the Purrs, whose approach is akin to hearing the Brian Jonestown Massacre with a songwriting force on the level of a Noel Gallagher to rein in the excess and tie the whole thing up into a neat little package that still leaves some comfy wiggle room.
The "less gloomy" tends to come in the form of detached resignation: "mostly I am in my own private hell / but mostly it's OK," with Jason Milne's rainy day guitar leads underpinning it all. It sounds like a lie, but we'll take what we can get. "Feeling Fine," meanwhile, swaggers with cocky confidence and provides the album's most positive moment.
The clinchers, however, surround "Feeling Fine" from both ends at the front of the album. Preceding it is the hard-hitting "Fear of Flying," a solid tour-anxiety rocker with an indelible chorus, while following it is "Stay Here With Me," which sports perhaps the most infectious riff yet to anchor a Purrs song. And with Jima's comically blunt complaint about a girl who drank all his wine, took all his time, "and looked at me like I'm the one who ought to leave," it's easily the album's best track, and in a perfect world would be lighting up iPods everywhere.
The album runs out of steam by its 10th entry, "Good Times to Come," and slithers quietly away with a far-away voice layered over a slow, short, dreamy instrumental, "Jolly's Return." And aside from the band's first ever all-acoustic tune, "The Big Black Wall," the ground covered here is familiar and comfortable. But in light of the high points preceding this tepid ending, Amused Confused & More Bad News still manages to hang with the band's two previous full-length albums like a newfound brother, which is hardly bad news at all.
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Anyone with a penchant for that UK brand of paisley psychedelic rock will dig this unsigned Seattle-based band. It’s the kind of sound I never get tired of. And The Purrs fourth full length album, Amused, Confused & More Bad News, is full of those iconic UK influences – from Jesus & Mary Chain, Echo & The Bunnymen, Oasis, and The Verve. It’s a well-worn and familiar path, but it feels really good. Slip it on and see for yourself.
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This album, the fourth from the Seattle stalwarts, begins with a squalling mass of noise and guitars in an attention-grabbing shoegaze explosion. The Purrs obviously have such an abiding relationship with music, both immersing in it as fans and using it as an outlet in their own lives, that when they create it, it is done with the utmost respect and regard.
The songs come across with a timeless and enduring quality; almost as if they are more destined to become lost cult-classics than populist hits. The subject matter too veers more towards the grit and pain of a too-real life than the usual glamour and beauty of the pop world. But that’s okay as the beauty comes out in the music through absorbing riffs, deep hooks and marvellously melded melodies gouged from voice and instrument alike. Bad news never sounded so good.
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Even though the Emerald City is home, the Purrs are so '60s Britain, they'd impress those cavemen from Oasis. For that truly authentic experience, take with a tab of Orange Sunshine while wearing a vintage mohair suit and a bobby hat.
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Amused, Confused, & More Bad News, the third (or fourth, depending on how you look at it) studio album from local post-psych outfit The Purrs, comes across as guardedly autobiographical. Amidst the jangly guitar rock and fuzzed-out riffs, you can read the album as a document of the band's struggles since their 2005 debut, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. With songs like "Loose Talk" and "Taste of Monday" garnering regular play on KEXP, the self-released album did about as well as they could have hoped for. They signed to a local label, and things were looking good. Then, well, not much happened, or at least not the way it was supposed to.
The label re-released earlier material, pared down to meet the tastes of an illusory pop audience. The band toured widely and garnered more attention, but it was almost three years before they brought new material to market, with the album (again self-released) The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together, in 2007.
So when lead singer and songwriter Jima croons on the new track "Feeling Fine" that "Life on the road is OK/if your brain's like a summer job, short-term only," you can feel the tension to the band's work: exhaustion bordering on burnout, while at the same time there's the compulsion to continue the relentless process of being a rock and roll band, despite the lack of future certainty. But broad themes aside, the new disc shows the band continuing to evolve into a more assured outfit. The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of was almost baroque with its elaborate song intros and musical references, all of which have been getting pared down over the last few years as the band concentrates more on song-craft. The Chemistry... showed that the band was capable of anthemic rock with tunes like "Chemicals for Me" (which also saw its fair share of KEXP rotation), and the band has followed up with at least two scorchers on Amused...: "Sister," which features both a delicious wah-heavy riff as well as the judicious use of acoustic guitar for percussive effect, and the fan favorite "Fear of Flying."
But the standout track is undoubtedly "The Outpost," possibly the single best song the band has written. It's Ziggy Stardust meets Galaxie 500, a sci-fi epic of loneliness and anomie carried along by the surging guitars of Bob Silverstein and Jason Milne. The Purrs have always been phenomenal at creating delicately textured tone palettes with lush guitar effects, and there's no better example of that than "The Outpost."
Today, the band may not be looking at mainstream break-out success, but their years of relentless touring have won them a dedicated fanbase based on the strength of their live shows. And their music has been popping up in television soundtracks with greater frequency over the past few years, most recently in David Duchovny's sex-drenched Showtime series Californication, whose world-weary themes of sex and emptiness the band's music is perfectly matched for.
So it's not exactly bitterness that informs Jima's lyrics on the new album so much as a sort of grudging acceptance. Exasperation with the rock scene is matched with a more mature awareness that there are other forms of success. Three albums in, The Purrs are writing some of their best material, and at least in part that's due to the fact that at some point, they realized that if they kept going, it was going to have to be for themselves.
The Purrs play the part of the persistent underdog well. The band is one that you've probably heard of. You've likely read a positive review about them in your favorite online music reading place (guilty). They're probably a band that you've inadvertently stumbled upon in some Ballard venue on some rainy weeknight. Yet they're likely not the first band that comes to mind when somebody posits the question, “What's your favorite guitar pop band in Seattle?” Well, the dudes aren't ready to give in; not to fickle audiences, not to unappreciative labels, and surely not to the undulating local music scene full of synths, glitches, beards and crossovers. As such, the band has given us Amused, Confused & More Bad News, its third full-length and arguably its most evolved and succinct output yet.
The quartet, for the most part, stays true to its atmospheric psych-pop maxims: vocalist/bassist Jima's lucid bellyaches about his heartbreaks and hangovers, eternally stuck in the doldrums, and Jason Milne's high-fret wandering manifestos. Like any good songwriter, Jima is adept at turning his written prose into singing poetry, often laced with cynicism and snark. The guy's probably had ten times as many breakups as you or I, yet he is nothing if not resolute, determined to shake off his funk, and preferably with a drink. There is a heaviness to this album that differs from their first two, as the band opts for less exploration and more immediacy in achieving their final compositions. The record's success ultimately hinges on Jima's ability to corral his emotions (and pitch) and Milne's proclivity for testing the heights of his spiraling, skygazing strings. The Purrs are not a duo however, and drummer Craig Kellen and new rhythm guitarist Bob Silverstein complement their mates capably. Kellen, in particular, is as solid as skin pounders come.
“Sister” is the leadoff track, and for good reason. Milne's Fender explodes into a beautiful, blistering wah-wah arpeggio that lasts a good 90 seconds (the rest of the band joins in, including a third guitar). It really lays into the listener and sets a towering tone while Jima and Silverstein conspire for their best harmonies of the record. You'd be hard-pressed not to conjure memories of your favorite Brit-pop band—from the Smiths to Oasis—while listening to the album's jangly, hook-heavy first half, with “Fear of Flying” and “Feeling Fine” as the poster songs. The second half of the record is where the Purrs slow it down and burn through some solemn psychedelia. “The Outpost” is possibly the best song they've penned (ok, maybe not better than “Taste of Monday”), a colossal and wide-eyed venture. Jima ponders the future of his relationship in the wake of the “gigantic machine” and has this gurgling noise (guitar pedal? organ?) that steps through each verse like a dejected creature plodding through the cosmos.
Not quite the final track, “Good Times Will Come” is the de facto closer of Amused. It's a broiling drifter of a song, aimlessly roaming a lost, sun-scorched highway. The Purrs are convinced better times are ahead, and if this record doesn't get ‘em there, well, who knows how they'll handle it.
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Hailing from Seattle, The Purrs create a fascinating concoction of psychedelic pop. The band is an amalgam of their influences, which range from Echo and the Bunnymen to Television to Oasis. Amused, Confused and More Bad News is a terrific blend of darkness and light. The album is their fourth full-length to date and it is also the most mature, fully realized disc that they have pressed thus far.
Most of the tracks are catchy, mid-tempo compositions. “Fear of Flying” is the type that resonates in the listeners’ head long after it comes to a close. The rhythm section recalls The Church or perhaps Love and Rockets and the sweltering lead guitar adds just enough trippiness to override the basic pop structure.
“Baby I Want You Back” is also unrelentingly infectious. Sonically, it is a bit of Rain Parade meets Neil Young. The song starts out great and ends even better with a change in pace and loads of reverb and echo drenched guitar along with an intoxicating, walking bass line. “The Outpost” is a melancholy standout track that also manages to be rather catchy. Singer Jima’s singing and lyrics puncture the driving, siren-like song. He sounds half inebriated and half lucid in his performance, but also comes across remarkably charismatically and it fits the melody quite well.
At one point, the new album was almost named after one of its songs, “A Century of Rain.” It is a shame that that title was rejected in favor of the winner as it is a much more effective way of describing the musical elements contained within the record. The Purrs are not to be missed live. They have an effortless manner of recreating their songs onstage.
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The Purrs play the type of music most indie heads love to wrap their ears around but keep secretly to themselves because they don't want their favorite band to have too much exposure. On the groups fourth record Amused, Confused & More Bad News, the Seattle group offers up another solid collection of feverish UK type psych-rock that is full of hooks, swooping guitar lines and slight reverb, that all combine to create one of their most focused and concise albums to date. On previous records, the band would use several songs to explore and wander past the six minute mark on more than one track. Here on Amused, Confused & More Bad News, The Purrs only pass the five minute mark on two tracks, which leads to a record that relies more on its tight song structures then shoegaze moments. The Purrs are able to still pull off the same gazer effect here, only within a more listening friendly manner, which gives Amused, Confused & More Bad News a great replay value. What makes The Purrs worth checking out is their mid-tempo sinister groove on tracks like "Sister" that take a page from Jesus & Mary Chain, while the catchy "Fear Of Flying" gets you instantly foot tapping and singing along and especially on songs like the slow grinding ballad "Century Of Rain", The Purrs showcase their softer side while still sounding completely gritty - don't look for an influence there - that is all Purrs!
Last week while I was listening to Kevin Cole on KEXP he played a song from Purrs‘ new album followed by the Dream Syndicate’s Tell Me When It’s Over which reminded me of a couple things. One, how much I love Kevin Cole’s kid in a candy store approach to his daily show (you never know what he might grab off the shelf) and two: how much the Purrs seem to be influenced by the Paisley Underground. About a year ago when I saw them across the street from the Green Pajamas, I made the connection, and now with the new record (as well as Kevin Coles’s playlist) that Paisley Underground connection has been reaffirmed.
Back in the early 80’s the Paisley Underground scene was a somewhat unheralded movement that produced a lot of great albums that to this day seem to go unnoticed and unheralded as the great works that they were. The Bangles are probably the best known (Prince penned Manic Monday or the goofy Walk Like an Egyptian anyone?) band to emerge from the scene, and also Rain Parade’s David Roback went on to form Mazzy Star, but bands like The Dream Syndicate, Green On Red, The Long Ryders and the Three O’clock put out a a whole bunch of druggy, jangly, 60’s tinged, psychedelia inducing albums that hold a special place in my heart. A few years back Magnet magazine featured the Paisley Underground on the cover of their magazine, which I thought was one of the coolest things an American music magazine has done in the last ten years. Finally, a scene that created such great songs was got some recognition. Well that was nearly 10 years ago, back when magazines were still semi-relevant. So since then who has been carrying the torch of the Paisley Underground you may ask? Well look no further than Seattle and the Purrs (note to self, must do another blog post on Seattle’s godfathers of psychedelia, the Green Pajamas).
Yes, the Purrs are back with the follow-up to 2007’s The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together, an album that just didn’t get old for me, with it’s strong pop back-bone and it’s spacey vibe. Their new album Amused, Confused and More Bad News, just released last week, carries on that same vibe while adding an extra layer of psychedelic haze that makes you work just a little bit harder at pulling out he pop hook. Bassist and vocalist Jima has essentially upped the ante with this set of songs making them less immediate but in the end more gratifying. The first couple listens of the new record, had me looking for songs as immediate as She’s Got Chemicals and Drive and coming up empty. It wasn’t until third and fourth that I realized that Purrs were making me work for it, and songs like Stay With Me, Baby I Want You Back, A Century of Rain and The Outpost began to reveal themselves. The guitars still sound like they were played somewhere in outer space and sent back to the studio on some kind of sub-warp frequency giving the songs an extraterrestrial vibe, but with this new batch of songs Jima’s disaffected vocals are less in your face catchy and more intertwined into the songs as a whole. The band leave a trail of bread crumbs with the more immediate Fear of Flying and they momentarily doff the paisley and go for the pop jugular with the Verve/Oasis style sounding Feeling Fine. A song I bet Oasis wish that they could still write in. The real payoff comes with patience as this album is the kind that reveals something new with every listen. It’s an album that holds its own with anything that got released by anyPaisley Underground band back in the early 80’s as well as the high standards already set by the Purrs themselves on their previous records.
Redd Kross’ Jeff McDonald once asked,”Why does a missile look like a cock?” in their song “Crazy World”…I’m not sure the cover of the new album from The Purrs would provide any answers to that question, but the reference immediately came to mind when I saw it. While this site is about the music, I think you’ve all figured out by now that I’m a fan of graphic design and photograpy and the Amused, Confused & More Bad News packaging is something I’m pleased to have in my hands. So pleased that I feel the need to mention it was done by Popskull for bands seeking someone to design the artwork for their next release. Anyhow…
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Formed in Seattle in 2000, the Purrs sound more like British shoegazers from the 1980s or '90s, such as House of Love or the Verve. Then again, paisley-patterned rock once ruled the Emerald City, too, as embodied by Pure Joy, Room Nine, and Ron Nine's Sub Pop spin-off Love Battery, but the Northwest variant never broke as big as the UK or West Coast models, i.e. Rain Parade, the Three O'Clock, and the Plimsouls (Jason Milne's guitar-playing on "Baby I Want You Back" recalls "A Million Miles Away").
This quartet keeps those traditions alive on their fourth, reverb- drenched full-length, which means you can probably predict what Amused, Confused & More Bad News sounds like, but there's nothing wrong with a little predictability, especially when it's ex- ecuted with this degree of finesse. Plus, they throw a few small surprises into the mix, such as the Beatles-esque "Mostly" and minor-chord "Good Times to Come," which veers into bad-trip psychedelia, as opposed to the happy-go-lucky Tommy James model—or maybe I should say sad-trip, since the Purrs never plunge into the same sort of abyss where the Black Angels dwell.
Next to Curious Mystery's Rotting Slowly, Amused is the strongest psych-pop record to emerge from Seattle so far this year. To quote the band's own "Feeling Fine," "The beat is pure."
This Seattle band follows up their two previous excellent albums with another first-rate set of jangly psych-pop that also brings some additional rock ‘n’ roll heat to their sound, thanks to more muscular, energetic rhythms and some fiery guitar leads from Jason Milne. -Don Yates
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Not to be forgotten (by this guy OR the rest of the town), the Purrs, who’ve toured extensively with the Ettes, played an inspired set of their biggest tunes (”Disconnected”, “She’s Got Chemicals”, “Taste of Monday”), plus a few new ones. I’ve always loved this band: Jima’s lyrics and Jason Milne’s Fender are the bedrock of their catchy and captivating shoegazing pop. Milne calmly plays in the stratosphere with his hands close together, and Jima just can’t seem to get a break (somebody sign this band!). Add in rhythm guitar and Keith Moon-style drums for the Purrs’ signature sound. If you dig Luna or the Flaming Lips or Galaxie 500, this band is for you. SRSLY.
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Although the focus of this weblog majigger is hip-hop, I'm not the kind of person to listen to one genre of music and hate on the rest, so this article will be on an upcoming show that I am rather excited about. Seattle band The Purrs are going to be at the Sunset Tavern on Jan. 24th, 2009 (click here for show details), I am not sure of the price, I'll update once I know (I'm sure it'll be cheap). 21+ only.
Now, the Purrs may not be the most trailblazing of rock bands, they don't have a Pet Sounds or OK Computer (but who isn't derivative these days?). Although they wear their influences on their sleeves, they pull it off damn well. A proud mix of psychedelic folk with a bit of shoegaze and some "indie" charm (although that word makes me wanna vomit), they are reminiscent of LA's Paisley Underground bands of the 80's ( Dream Syndicate and The Three O'Clock, not to mention more popular acts such as Mazzy Star and The Bangles were all part of the Paisley U). One of my favorite qualities of this band is how well they capture Seattle's unique feeling, that kinda gloomy atmospheric doldrum (everyone from Seattle should know what I'm talking about) with a bit of acid on the tongue. It reminds me of taking shrooms on a cloudy day in Discovery Park (long, long ago). I don't want this to turn into a real review, I'll save that for another day, so I'll be terse. If all these gushing descriptions sound like your cup of (mushroom) tea, go to the show! Buyer Beware, this kinda shit isn't for everyone, so if you eat, sleep and breathe hip-hop then listen to a song before you go to the show and make fun of all the hipsters.
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Chances are, if you went out to see live original music in Cincinnati in the late ’80s/early ’90s, you’ve likely seen Jim Antonio on stage. Antonio was one of the best frontmen in town when he led Lizard 99, an Art Punk band in the vein of early Jane’s Addiction. He also performed in the duo Oyster and as bassist for local faves, Roundhead.
In 2000, Antonio and his wife, cellist Barb Hunter (another onetime Roundhead member who has recorded with The Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers and Pigface), relocated to Seattle. Having amassed a nice collection of demos (and having been in a band since his early teens), Antonio started cruising the want ads in Seattle’s alt-weekly The Stranger, hoping to get a new musical project going.
Responding to the ads from musicians with shared Psych Pop/Rock influences (Luna, Brian Jonestown Massacre, etc.), Antonio formed The Purrs not long after arriving in the Pacific Northwest.
I end up tracking down Antonio (who uses the stage name JimA in The Purrs), not in Seattle but in Paris, where he is on vacation, celebrating his wedding anniversary.
“You know when someone in the U.S. says that the French are rude and smell bad?” Antonio says, when asked if he was getting the evil eye for being a “stupid American,” “well, that is all BS perpetrated by ethnocentric losers who prefer to live in ignorance. Paris is a big city and consequently smells like one. Parisians are no more polite or rude than any other city.” Once The Purrs had formed, they went the D.I.Y. route, releasing their own CDs and playing around Seattle and Portland. The band hit a turning point when popular Seattle-based online radio station KEXP began spinning songs from their first two releases. Antonio says the heavy airplay from the station (as well as eventual play on Cincinnati-based online station, 97X/WOXY) immediately boosted their profile and CD sales.
“We started selling pretty well for an unsigned indie band with no support to speak of,” he says. “I directly attribute that to KEXP and WOXY. Sales started going up in local stores and online. I know because I mailed every CD out personally. I was raiding the office supply store for padded envelopes and the people at the post office knew me. We never made any money because we put it all right back into studio time and Connie, our Econoline van at the time.” The increased sales and airplay brought the band some attention from independent labels and the group eventually signed with the small Sarathan imprint, which had good national distribution. (On the decision to go with the label, Antonio says, “Their checks cleared.”) Sarathan released a self-titled fulllength, culled from tracks off of the band’s two self-releases. The deal enabled the band to tour the country and earned them wider recognition. But, ultimately, the band’s relationship with the label soured.
“I’m going to be diplomatic here and say that it wasn’t a good fit,” Antonio says. “It started to become apparent that they didn’t actually know what we were about. It was like they had never seen or heard us or something. I do like being independent, but there is a limit to what you can achieve without some sort of outside support. I guess I can live with that … but I’d rather not.” Out of necessity, the band released The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together on their own. The long-player — their finest and most cohesive effort yet — is a fantastic slice of dreamy Pop music, smeared in trippy atmospherics and buoyed by phenomenally memorable melodies. The album floats in the same hemisphere as artists like The Verve and Galaxie 500, with some vintage influences like the Velvet Underground and Television also evident.
Though the music has a psychedelic element, Antonio insists he’s no druggie. At least not while making music. “I can either get wasted or write music,” he says. “Fortunately there is time enough in my day for both. These days bourbon is my drug of choice. Do they even make acid anymore?” The band has endured several lineup changes since their start. Antonio insists he’s not an ogre to work with, putting the lineup changes down to the personal lifestyle decisions of the departing members.
“I wish I could say I am difficult to work with because that would sound cool, like I am some sort of an artist or something,” Antonio jokes. “I am pretty sure that isn’t the case. The reasons a person might join a band are varied and over time, those reasons may not remain relevant. Playing in a band that plays out as much as we do and works as hard as we do is a lifestyle choice.
Lifestyles change over time. People have kids or decide they want to move to the mountains and become a lumberjack or whatever.”
THE PURRS (myspace.com/thepurrs) play the MidPoint Music Festival Friday at the Aronoff’s Fifth Third Bank Theater at 9 p.m.
This cracking album elicits equal measures of sympathy and sonic satisfaction. While the narratives are of forlorn, loveless, exasperating lives, the music radiates with shimmering guitars, resilient hooks and melodies shining throughout. The lyrics come drenched with a drunken self-depreciating stench of hopelessness, yet you get an inkling that the pain is poured out into the songs. This is real, everyday emotion distilled across many long nights of empty bottles and endlessly-strummed guitar strings.
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The Purrs have been knocking around Seattle since 2000 in virtual anonymity, but hopefully this new full-length will help put them on the map. An eclectic mix of alt-Americana delivered with the mulit-layered reverb-y production of the Jesus & Mary Chain or Britpop icons like Oasis, the album suggests what might have happened to the Long Ryders if they'd just taken the right drugs. Speaking of which, my favorite track, "She's Got Chemicals," kicks off with big chiming Byrdsy guitars for a tongue-in-cheek tale of recreational drug use that the Dandy Warhols would have killed to record. There's a definite tinge of Velvet Underground too, leading up to a dozen killer songs well worth delving into.
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Old phrase, I know (thanks, Nick Lowe), but it applies to The Purrs wonderfully.
The Purrs do retro-pop perhaps better than anyone does when it comes to finely tuned songs that musically reference past influences. On their debut release, The Dreams our Stuff is Made Of, the Purrs delivered songs that explored the musical presence of ‘60s-era bands like Velvet Underground, The Byrds, even The Beatles, within the framework of their wonderful songs. But they go much further than that. Their songs have, at their core, a studied appreciation for rock ‘n’ roll. Call them students with exceptional learning skills.
On their latest album, The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together, The Purrs continue with that style with twelve excellent songs of Pop/Rock that elicit shades of NYC and British music with musical roots in the ‘60s. One listen to “She’s Got Chemicals,” a ‘60s Who-like song (and I love that title – it’s classic), you can pick out strains of the familiar. As you move from song to song, the album yields up its treasures.
One thing is for certain, The Purrs have themselves a fantastic album. And I believe they know it. From beginning to end, The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together is a reminder of how much fun and pleasure you can get out of listening to a well-crafted album.
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Two guitars, one drumkit, and a singer round out the crew behind the navel-gazing album, The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together. It’s the band’s second record, full of jangly, atmospheric, extended jams, reverb and drug references, and airy vocals. I really enjoyed listening to the album, even if nothing here stayed with me long afterwards. I imagine The Purrs put on a great live show.
For fans of: Luna, The Church, The La’s.
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...Which brings me to The Purrs. They have cleverly circumvented this by sending me their last three releases as promos. So instead of being a band that i like and would get the album, but not listen to it that much because i had reviews to work on, The Purrs send me their records and then Brendan forces me to review them. This benefits them because they get a deep review from someone with more than 10 minutes familiarity to their music. And i benefit because i get to listen to a band grow. It's a win-win situation.
That said, i sincerely hope that this is not the last Purrs record. The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together is a record about drug addiction, heartbreak, manipulative women, and loss. Lead Purr Jima sings about suicide in more than one song, and many of the tunes have a generally depressed air to them that, well, worries me. Jima -- get help buddy. Don't let the b*tches drag you down!
Aside from the depressing lyrical content, this is another fine Purrs release. The band continues their progression from being yet another Britpoppish band, to being a songwriting act with vaguely bluesy riffs. That is, i see the arc of The Purrs career to date as starting as something very Verve-like and progressing towards something like a mellow Rolling Stones. Or, now that i think about it, like the solo work of ex-Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft... Huh. Well, maybe Jima is trying to model his career after Ashcroft's... Strange.
At any rate, The Purrs succeed more often than they fail. Let me go over a few of the songs on this record.
Frozen In Time begins the lyrical sadness that dominates this record, with Jima singing about a relationship that just didn't work out, leaving both parties saddened and frustrated. The guitars here play some lovely arpeggios, which nicely complement the sadness of the lyrics.
She's Got Chemicals complicates Jima's heartbreak by pointing out that it was her that keeps him from staying clean. Here The Purrs rock out with crisp, lightly echoed guitars and some thudding drums. When they want to rock out, they can do it quite well. They rock on Go Cindy Go as well, pulling out the tremolo pedal and whirring their way through the tune.
You Don't Look So Good has quickly become one of my all time favorite Purrs tunes. It is a lyrical powerhouse for Jima. He starts with the line "Nothing kills a buzz like a botched suicide / It can really ruin your day" (a line that would be sad if it weren't so silly), peaks with him repeating the title with a slightly quizzical tone, and ends with him repeating the line "every silver lining hides a cloud". Not a happy song, but the guitars here are trebly blues that tinkle along with tapped drums. Very nice.
Junk & Jil, on the other hand, is my least favorite Purrs tune. Ever. The guitar riff here sounds like it wandered in from the one LP by The Grapes, an Athenian jam rock act of the early 90s. Ugh. The high-pitched arpeggios annoy me, reminding me of smelly hippies wearing toques in Athens, in the summer. (The smell is something i will carry to my grave. No amount of patchouli can cover the acrid sweat smell of wool worn in 90 degree weather!) That guitar riff ruins the song for me.
They follow this up with the best rocker of this LP, Waiting for the Asteroid. Lyrically this hearkens back to their No Particular Bar, No Particular Town EP with it's line "some space junk fell in the street last night". Apparently Jima feels that salvation will come from the heavens, in the form of annihilation. Not an uplifting thought, but the guitars here jangle away, which some nice distortion on the choruses. The drumming also swells up nicely on the chorus. I bet this one really gets the crowds moving at their concerts.
The next track, Disconnected starts with a long guitar jam. I swear i keep expecting to hear David Gilmour sing at some point. This song really sounds like something from Animals. Great stuff.
Overall, i continue to be impressed. The Purrs<
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Just when you thought it was safe to come back here…Seattle week continues! Only by coincidence really, the Purrs were playing down the hill from where I live so it was kind of a no-brainer for me to go to the gig after being smitten by their latest album the Chemistry that Keeps us Together.
The band took the stage to about half the crowd that was there to see the previous band Feral Children. Not sure why people vacated, but it was their loss, because the Purrs put on a clinic on how to rock out. They came off as a lot more garage-y sounding live, kicking it up a notch as that one chef on tv is want to say. I had a feeling I was going to like the Purrs live before the show even started. As they were setting up, I caught a glimpse of the effects pedal boards of both guitarists. They both had a veritable smörgåsbord of pedals, I would have needed a menu to keep them straight, but these guys have got them down. My prognosis for the show was good (in my book more effects pedals = better show), and I was not disappointed in the least, though my ears are still complaining a little.
Earlier this week I compared the Purrs to the Church and after seeing them live I’d like to reitterate that one, because not only is Jima a bass playing front man, but guitarists Jason Atkin and Jason Milne are like a Marty Wilson-Piper and Peter Koppes duo, expertly playing off of one another and creating a wall of blissful noise that is something to behold. The entire band were solid, exuding a cool confidence with their playing that I rarely see. They hit all of the highlights from the new record, starting the set with a full-throttled version of Waiting for the Asteroid. Frozen in Time, She’s got Chemicals, Junk and Jill and Miles Away all hit the same highs that they do on record. They also threw in three brand new songs, one of which Jima mentioned that the band might get around to recording, but in the meantime we could hear it on his home answering machine. I guess he’s got some kind of They Might Be Giants dial-a-song thing going on over at his place.
Why these guys aren’t signed to a label and way more known than they are is beyond me. For now, I just count myself very lucky to be able to go a few blocks and see a Purrs gig.
Welcome to day two of my week long post-o-rama focusing on the Jet City. Day two is dedicated to The Purrs , who have been around for a while but never came across my radar. They’ve gotten a lot of support by local radio station KEXP, but I hadn’t heard of these guys until Mat, who I work with, asked me if I’d heard them. He had only heard of them because a girl in his akido class was wearing their t-shirt which caught his attention. So those t-shirts do work for selling cd’s, wow! The band sound like they could have been born in the LA Paisley Underground, think the Rain Parade, but less jangly guitars. They also remind me a bit of Australians the Church both from their layered guitar sound and Jima’s cool voice having a few similarities with Steve Kilby. Their new album the Chemistry that Keeps Us Together which was self released back in November of last year is a real beauty. It’s got great three minute pop songs and then some longer ones that let the band crank up their a hazy mellow, psychedelic blues thing. I’m pretty excited to see these guys live and it looks like I’ve got a couple of chances in February, dates below.
Seattle band the Purrs have been together long enough to sound like they know what they are doing. On their second album, they have really gotten their take on druggy ’70s rock down, and with a Lou Reed-like delivery from their singer Jima, it isn’t hard to see why they are building a decent following. The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together is a very businesslike album, in that there’s nothing above and beyond the very functional songs. There’s nothing very spectacular on display yet it’s a record that’s hard to find much of anything to complain about. It’s almost like the band are trying their best to hide behind the music, with very little of their personality or geography coming through on the dozen songs. There is definitely a bit of swagger and sneer on display at times, and that helps to make The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together from becoming too bland. But for the most part, it feels somewhat soulless. However, people who like this kind of thing will like it a lot.
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Seattle new/old sound – The next big thing – They’ve got the songs!
Americana – difficult to define as a genre even more as a concept – go on try it in less than 250 words. Tough, eh. And into this debate comes The Purrs with their second album a big sounding reverb lashed noise that echoes the influences and then some. It is American music but is it Americana as we know it, Jim? Probably not. They would fit more snugly into an alternative category with the chiming rhythms and nasal vocals, the nihilist lyrics and counter point harmonies.
But that would be a shame as there is much to enjoy here. Sure the spirit of laughing Lou and the Underground hang like a shroud over much of the proceedings but that’s no bad thing – no bad thing at all. Pete Perrett is called to mind as are the long lost Psychedelic Furs and even the Violent Femmes. Oddly the tracks the press release highlights are not the ones that immediately impress ‘Go Cindy Go’ and ‘You Don’t Look So Good’ for example.
If you like a sneered vocal and jangly shards of guitar with intelligent song writing to boot then this most definitely is where it’s at. The Purrs the next Green Day – could be, could be. You heard it here first.
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If there’s one thing that ‘90s Britpop taught us, it’s that sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll not only sound great together, they never go out of style. And though The Purrs are actually from Seattle, they have absorbed the sounds and the vibes of their musical compadres across the pond. Double-tracked vocals and reverbed guitars are the order of the day on The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together, with the band occasionally jamming out on a groove like a more disciplined, song-oriented cousin of Brian Jonestown Massacre.
There’s a very, very dark thread woven throughout the album. It gets no darker than the opening line of “You Don’t Look So Good” as vocalist Jima bluntly observes, “nothing kills a buzz like a botched suicide.” “Disconnected” also lives up to its title, again with the blunt opening approach: “I know you’re suffering / I don’t really give a damn,” and the druggy band-aid confession: “I had a handful of pills so I took them all.” The old alcoholic stand-by comes into play as well in “Rainbow Afternoon” as a depressed narrator sits in a bar and thinks, “maybe I’d rather just lay down and die.”
Sex and love are also covered, cynically so in “Yes I Do,” where a damned if you do, damned if you don’t philosophy supersedes all thought: “If you try too hard to love her / She will leave you / If you act like you don’t want her / She’ll believe you.”
“She’s Got Chemicals” is ultimately the best entry here. With its classic use of drugs as a metaphor for love (“I can’t resist the buzz she gives ... Those chemicals are right here in my mind”), the song whose lyrics gave the album its title provides the most positive and heartwarming emotions. What’s more, its melodic refrain makes it the catchiest, most radio-friendly tune of the bunch. (Self-released)
Disclaimer: This a review of show that occurred more than a week ago, but due to illness and holiday bustle, it’s a bit late in coming. Since it was such a pleasant experience, I say, “Better late than never!” Believe me, if it sucked, I wouldn’t give a hoot OR pollute. Honest.
I remember when the Purrs were a “buzz” band. KEXP’s afternoon DJs couldn’t play enough of their self-released long-playing debut The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of, particularly tracks like the jangly “Loose Talk”, the perfectly-pop yearning of “She’s Gone”, and, of course, the dark psychedelia of “Taste of Monday”. They managed to convince Sarathan Records to release a self-titled combination of Dreams and 2004 EP No Particular Bar, No Particular Town, received with modest praise. Now they’ve come full circle to the DIY method with their latest, The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together. And while this sophomore effort may not have all the catchy, radio-friendly hits of the debut, it certainly makes up for it in terms of sonic fullness and song evolution. The quality of the songwriting is not limited to a select number of tracks, but rather runs through the entire disc. And the composition and lyricism sound more accomplished this time around, if not more jaded. As well, the group delves into more of the shoegazing guitar strategies of the 80s (My Bloody Valentine, the Jesus & Mary Chain), moreso than the melancholy California pop of the 60s.
The band was kind enough to send me a copy of Chemistry and put me on the guest list for their set at the High Dive last Friday night (12/14). Sandwiching them on the bill was Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity and urban cowboy posse Brent Amaker and the Rodeo. Gary Reynolds, sounding a bit like David Bowie (!), and his “polygamist” outfit worked through a set of alt-countryish rock tunes that set the mood for the night. Much like the Purrs, they had some gloomy tones percolating through catchy, piano-heavy pop songs. I enjoyed their set, and was a bit surprised to find their recordings noticeably more polished and less country than the live show indicated. Catch them at the Tractor Friday January 4th for a more accurate account. For a blatant devotion to Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, check out Brent Amaker and the Rodeo. They headlined the show and entertained the crowd rather well. The highlight was the Whiskey Baptism carried out halfway through the set. A tower of whiskey shots were brought to the stage and Amaker continually filled the gullets of anyone willing. It was hilarious.
Up next were the sensational, reverb-drenched musings of Seattle quartet the Purrs. The singularly-named Jima, who performs vocals along with a bass he might’ve mistook for his own guitar, set his own tone by quickly demonstrating his penchant for inspired, inebriated performances. Before breaking into the music, he lamented the bar’s PBR-only comps for the musicians while holding aloft a glass of what looked like a cabernet: vintage 2002. Other than his bass, it would be his main accessory throughout the show (he would later fall in line for his own Whiskey Baptism courtesy of the headliners). Seeing as how I’d only caught one of their shows back in 2005, I was thrilled that they opened with “Taste of Monday” (though somewhat disappointed that it was the only track off the first record they played). They proceeded to play songs off their new album: “Drive”, “She’s Got Chemicals”, “Waiting for the Asteroid”, “Go Cindy Go”, “Junk & Jil”, among several others.
What stood out most between the recordings of Chemistry and the band playing them live was how much fuller and enmeshed all the instruments sounded on stage. I like the quality and tracking of the disc, but I really thought the onstage playing set their music apart and provided that sought-after proverbial wall of sound. Guitarists Jason Atkin and Jason Milne seemed to have endless pedals at their disposal and ably utilized them along with their Fenders. Drummer<
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The Purrs debut album released in 2005 was one of my favourite albums of the year, and has stood the test of time, in the fact, that it still gets regular space on the CD player. It was a delight, therefore, to be sent their follow-up album, although there was always that nagging doubt that they would be unable to compete with their debut. Thankfully, there is nothing to worry about, all’s well in the Purrs world, the instantly recognisable sound still intact, although this time the songwriting seems sharper and more assured.
After the scene setting opener, filled with that lovely guitar jangle, the album settles into its groove with “Frozen In Time”, a world weary song with a hint of Dinosaur JR running through its pristine melodies. Opening with a glorious riff that truly sparkles, “She’s Got Chemicals” brings back all those Church comparisons, although the band have an identity of their own these days, the song a perfect example of why you should like them.
As with the first album, it takes a couple of plays to attune your ears to the bands sound. When you do, however, songs like “Yes I Do” reveal a layered sonic palette, creating strange harmonies, whilst “You Don’t Look So Good” has all the complex simplicity of a Lou Reed song, including the lyrical bite.
Mixing sweet melody with lyrical bile seems to be a favourite trick of the band and there is no better example than the sweet pop ditty “Junk & Jil”, the lyrics taking the song in a darker direction whilst a saccharine guitar motif makes you smile. After eight tracks of warped pop jangle, the band make a detour for the 8 minute “Disconnected”, allowing the band to lose themselves in their music, something they do to great effect with some magical guitar playing elevating the song into the sky. Check out the track “creeping Coastline Of Lights” on their debut EP (2004), for another epic guitar burnout.
Leaving the best to last, the final two tracks are Purrs classics with “If It’s So Right How Come It Feels So Wrong” sounding like it could be a live killer, all sleazy riffs and slowburning rhythm. Meanwhile, album closer “Rainbow Afternoon”, is a world-weary statement of intent that ends the album with flawless downbeat splendour.
It is refreshing to see a band who have worked so hard, financing and distributing their debut album, finally get some reward. This album should continue their upward spiral and hopefully make some new fans along the way. (Simon Lewis)
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The Purrs are back with their sophomore effort The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together, which brings more of their UK / Seattle groovin’ rock n’ roll connection to the masses. Building on all the hype the band has earned over the last several years The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together shows great refinement from their earlier work. Where before they dabbled into different elements of Brit-pop, shoegaze and psych rock, The Purrs have now jumped in with both feet and made the combination of all these styles their own. The catchiest track on the album “She’s Got Chemicals” not only is their best song to date but it has an instant hook and beat that will stay in your head all day. The albums flow is like a two phased journey by frontloading the beginning with shorter pop rock songs while the second half of the album will appeal to The Purrs shoegaze fanbase with the almost eight minute “Disconnected” and the last four songs averaging around the six minute mark. The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together will appeal to every indie fan out there, because it has all the components to grab different fans and unite them for one Purrs experience!
The combination of being busy at work and getting a bunch of CDs within a week of each other nearly caused me to forget I had the new disc by The Purrs in my hot little hands! Thankfully my pal Chris reminded me that this Friday (November 9) is their release party at the Sunset Tavern.
So, after band rehearsal tonight I came right upstairs, searched three or four rooms and finally found the disc, which had been placed on a table where I supposedly wouldn't forget about it. Funny how that never works. But, in any case, the disc is in my player as I'm typing, and what follows is a relatively incoherent set of thoughts about it.
If you've been living on mars or are perhaps new to Seattle rock music, here's the 411 on The Purrs: They're the best swoony/gazy/druggy/swirly pop band in town. They are dreamy and semi-psychedelic, but also melodic and expansive. I won't go as far as to say their sound is "epic," but they're always reaching and stretching and grasping but never quite reaching the outer limits of their sound. And I mean that in a really good way.
This disc, titled the chemistry that keeps us together sounds more crisp and sparkly that their previous recordings, and a few songs feel like 1970s-era Bowie. But, I suppose right now I'm hearing primarily a mix of the Verve and Mazzy Star with Jima's droll delivery replacing Hope Sandoval's.
The recordings really allow them to bring different textures and layers to the forefront, such as the effective use of organ and delay on "you don't look so good," the gurgling drone of "disconnected," and the percussive push of "miles away."
For me, the disc is ideal for either chilling on rainy afternoon, coming down after a long night on the town on a Saturday night, or getting revved up before heading out. Live, the whole thing kicks up a notch and rocks a little harder. So, be sure to head out to the Sunset this Friday to see them release the disc.
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(3.5 stars out of 4) The Purrs go a lot of love from KEXP and stirred up some hype with their 2005 release The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. What sticks out most about that record, aside from its 74-minute running time, is that it doesn't sound like a cheap rip off of a late-'60s, post-Beattles band. It actually sounds like a real late-'60s band. The Purrs signed with Sarathan and released a self-titled record of compiled tracks from Dreams and past EPs, so The Chemistry that Keeps Us Together, their new release of all new material, has revitalized the hype and anticipation. Chemistry hits with the same delayed guitar, open-chord distortion and reverb vocals that characterized their first record and so much of the '60s and '70s. In contrast to their reputation for the classic feel, the first few tracks scream Oasis. But this isn't completely off. "Frozen In Time" will make you think you're listening to the radio in 1995, or right about when pop and al ternative started to blend. The melody, like many of the album, is brutally hooking in the best way. The latter part of the record dives into Who-ish rock dramas with their last four songs all over five minutes. These lengthy tracks would go best with, well, weed if you've got any. The sober human ear can only sustain so much guitar bathed in heavy reverb and delay. At first, the more concise tracks all seem like listening to a hit from a different era, but natural, melodic pop songs do have a timeless quality. -- ROB E. MILLER
This Seattle band opts for a cleaner, slightly punchier sound on their 2nd album, bringing their trippy psych-pop jangle more sharply into focus. -Don Yates
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It's been a couple years since the Purrs' post-psychedelic gem of a debut LP, The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of, took KEXP by storm. The KEXP "bump" got them attention in indie circles nationally, landed some songs in a TV sitcom, and scored them a record deal with local indie Sarathan, who supported them in their first national tour.
But at the same time, Sarathan made the strange choice to not release new material by the Purrs, instead repackaging a shorter version of Dreams as a self-titled record. The lack of new material exhausted the buzz the band had generated, but hopefully that's about to change.
On November 6, their sophomore effort The Chemistry that Keeps us Together drops.
While we haven't heard the new record itself, the band's been playing the material in live shows for over a year. The stand out piece for our money is "She's Got Chemicals" (available streaming from their Myspace here). The song is rawer than the lush sounds of Dreams, and with a long, chanted climax, it's reminiscent of Pearl Jam epics like "Alive" or "Black." But whereas PJ relies on Mike McCready delivering a Zep-inspired solo, the Purrs rely on the same formula that made them great: a strong, steady bass-line with a powerful rhythm, while the guitarists apply layer over layer of effects, building a roaring sonicscape.
The new album promises an exploration of new artistic territory for the Purrs, and is a welcome release for fans who've been waiting for two years for new material. Catch them in concert this Saturday at the Studio 66 show at Lo-Fi.
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There is no better feeling that the first tantalising taste of a new album of a band you’re already a pretty committed fan of. In this instance ‘She’s Got Chemicals’ by a band seemingly constantly on the cusp – The Purrs. The band are to release their second album The Chemistry That Keeps us Together in November following on from the brooding chiming jangle of their debut The Dreams our Stuff is Made of . The Purrs have been kicking about Seattle for a good few years and could best be described as almost anti rock’n’roll. No attention seeking spiralling egos and wanton lusty displays of decadence and tell-all books about being knee-deep in willing groupies here, instead the band and their lyrics are endearingly self-depreciating. These are just regular guys who are wading their way forward as best they can through the world. At times they drink too much and love too little. They believe in their music and soldier on playing it through good shows and bad braving mile after mile in a trusty old van.
A recent show is the best example of the turbulent and magnetic ability to attract trouble that the band endures. The band were selected to play at Seafair - a huge annual event in their home town of Seattle featuring hydroplane boats, the Blue Angels and a huge captive audience. It was a prime opportunity for the band to be exposed to a large potential new audience. They were even escorted around in golf carts! All was looking rosy until mid way through their set the band and their audience is sledged by a crazed man dressed as a shining silver fish. ‘Fish Baits Man’ – a particularly pun-prudent editor may have written as a headline. The band resolved the situation by giving the perpretrator a few more ‘hits’ of their own, and not the type that are counted on a singles chart.
So who the devil are this Purrs lot them?
The band began in 2000 and have plugged away ever since, touring largely and regularly around the pacific northwest of America. Things really started happening for The Purrs when Seattle radio station KEXP got behind them. They’re not really the type to go about big noting the band, just letting their music speak for themselves. Their achingly honest tour diary tells of numerous thankless dates and countless criminally under-attended shows and nights that all seem to descend into drunken defeat. Entries such as 2000’s “The band played decently in front of 3 or 4 people. We got paid $20. Then the band proceeded to get very drunk.”. By the next year the Purrs’ fortunes are best summed up with “At some point, telling you we got real drunk and played in front of nobody in our own home town is going to be pretty boring. If I told you that at least the people who worked at the bar liked us would that alleviate the monotony? I didn't think so.” or the sympathy endearing and wallowing observation of:
“By the time we were ready to play, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. In fact, there wasn't an eye in the house of any kind. All the eyeballs were gone. And they had taken their bodies with them. We played a great show, to no one, yet again. Don't stop kicking me down....”
The Purrs first recorded mark on the world was the informatively titled ‘4 Songs EP’ in 2002. The follow up was the ‘No Particular Bar, No Particular Town’ EP two years later and it reflected the transient, alcohol fuelled nature of the band and its members and their frequent if at sometimes fruitless touring.
The band pieced together the songs that would form their debut album in their home studio over six months at the end of ’04 and the start of ’05. The resulting album was the 13 track, 74 minute careening delight knows as The dreams our stuff is made of. It ranges from bleak, brooding epics to the cripplingly infectious sheen of Loose Talk. The lyrical themes throughout tell of the gritty reality of a life lead on the wrong side of privelidge and luck – ‘She’s Gone’, ‘Taste of Monday’, ‘Don’t stop kicking me down’, ‘I’m leaving T
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This CD opens with a nice fuzz-pop Luna meets Lou Reed groove, walking around in some Britpop parking lot. This is sweet, up-tempo, drifting shoegaze, Northwest style. It has a very nice lo-fi touch, so while there's that U.K. swerve in the mood, it's still carrying a raw edge that helps it stand out from other similar style players. Sometimes it's a little Built to Spill meets the Verve, and that Dean Wareham comparison flows through many songs, stretching back to his Galaxie 500 days, but with a New York street attitude. These are well-written songs that take a fresh swing at a familiar sound. -- MARCEL FELDMAR.
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Velvet Underground and Jesus and Mary Chain style noise-rock jangle is a style of music that will never grow old or tiresome. It's simple, it rocks, and while it may offer little in the way of surprises, it's bound to provide maximum levels of enjoyment, even if the senses are not caught off guard. The Purrs understand this, and make something quite magnificent out of this approach. Yet the variations within that psychedelic three-chord approach are what makes this album a winning one. Opener "She's Gone" contains just the right amount of trippy rock momentum, while "Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of", more than just a clever name, descends into gorgeous dreamy territory, and "Connect the Dots" adds a little bit of raw, garage rock to nice effect. The Purrs' self-titled album not only lives up to the legacy of those weighty names dropped at the beginning of this review, but also carries it into the next generation, upholding rock 'n roll tradition, while leaving their own individualistic mark. -- JEFF TERICH
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An Anglo-fied act trapped in the Pacific Northwest, the Purrs are possible the greatest Brit-pop band to ever come out of Seattle. Bassist/vocalist Jima has obviously done his homework, nailing nearly every vocal tick and preening nuance of Richard Ashcroft, while his bandmates have no trouble nailing jangly guitars and reverb-soaked atmospherics. That said, more than a few tracks trace their roots to an earlier vintage. With snapping guitar chords, lushly malted harmonies and smoothly looping choruses, opener “She’s Gone” pulls no punches in it’s Zobies-circa-’68 flourishes. More subtle are the bands country music and dream pop influences, turning the in the fiddle lines of “The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of” and the burned-out Galaxie 500 drones o “Don’t Stop Kicking Me Down.” Despite a handful of undeniably good hooks however, the band is really little more than a bundle of patchy influences. – Matt Fink.
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You can hear a welter of influences in the music of the Seattle-based Purrs—primarily a strong past-and-present British Invasion-style flavor (or perhaps that’s “flavour”) that runs throughout. You hear it in the jangly guitars and maracas in the opening track, “She’s Gone,” in the spacey cadences of “The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of” (also the title track of a previous album) that also drops in a violin line for good measure, you hear it in the sprawly-drawly vocals of bassist/lead singer Jima, who’s a little Mick Jagger, a little Richard Ashcroft, even a little bit solo-era Syd Barrett. Don’t think it’s derivative; the Purrs manage to jumble everything around enough so that it sounds fresh, and they clearly understand the value of a good hook; every song, even the more dreamy ones, has a decided catchiness. As a result, the music has the kind of familiarity that makes you feel you’ve heard the record before, even if it’s your first time around with the tunes.
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When seeking companion music for a Pulp Fiction or Trainspotting genre of film, iconic, ominous, psychedelic rock seems to be the music of choice. With their self-titled debut, The Purrs have crafted an abrasive yet harmonious album that Uma Thurman might dance to before OD’ing.
A blend between ‘60s rock group The Animals and the more recent Greenhornes, The Purrs present nine tracks featuring dark lyrics woven into an orchestral tapestry of crying guitars and screeching vocals. Album opener “She’s Gone” sets the mood of lyrical melancholy contrasted with chipper instrumental accompaniment. This trend is continued with the darkly smooth “The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of,” which brings to mind images of Ewan McGregor falling through a red carpeted floor after a bad heroin hit in Trainspotting. Stand out track “Get on With Your Life” channels a sort of open road feel with the furious guitar plucked intro that smoothly transitions into scratchy vocals, “You’re never gonna take me alive/so you see it’s just a waste of your time/you’ve got better things to do if you want to survive.”
The Purrs’ debut showcases highly talented musicians who have the uncanny ability to make what could have been a highly experimental abrasive sound into something fluid. The only downside to this is that after a few songs the journey of which The Purrs have embarked upon borders on tedium. In that respect, The Purrs present great background music but won’t be appreciated by those seeking catchy singles. — Jen Tartaglione
A quintessentially British band that happens to from Seattle, The Purrs trade in a series of references stretching from the burned-out version of The Rolling Stones the guitar pop of he Verve and Blur. Take loads of reverb-drenched guitar, howling feedback, and the sneering vocals of bassist Jima, and you end up at the point where woozy dream pop and Brit-rock meet.
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With more than 3 million artists posting songs on Myspace.com , the social networking site has emerged as the cyberspace place to be for bands trying to get noticed. Every week, the site showcases a different band in a feature called The Booth. Last week's choice was The Purrs, a bluesy psychedelic/pop/indie outfit whose sound is straight out of the '60s. The reverb is cranked up, the mellow, spacey rock 'n roll grooves are very Velvet Underground and swirling guitars and pounding drums seem to float through the air.? The harmonies are syrupy sweet and there's plenty of well-placed sha-la-la's. When vocalist Jima's voice shakes on higher pitches, it's charming enough that he gets away with it. The band shows promise and songs such as the twangy, vibrato-filled "Get on With Your Life" and the driving, feel good "Loose Talk" will remain stuck in your head for days.? -- Neil Mirochnick, Muse Staff
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Clearly fans of 80s psychedelic post-punk, The Purrs have been making a name for themselves this year with their self-titled debut. While blending in the same atmospheric guitar twangs as their predecessors Echo & the Bunnymen and The Comsat Angels, vocalist Jima has the same aggressive swagger that the Verve’s Richard Ashcroft or the Oasis brothers conveyed during the 90s. Jima doesn’t mind the mind the comparisons that are given to him either, “I think the Verve and Galaxie 500 are great. Plus they had careers and I don’t. You can compare me to a tree if it makes people want to buy our record.” Based out of Seattle, The Purrs have been known to be one of those bands that would be glad to have a beer or two with fans after a show.
‘She’s Gone’ has been the first staple from the band, recieving plenty of airplay from internet-based radio stations such as KEXP and WOXY. The song is predictable from a band in their position, giving off a chorus led by some “Ooh’s” and a frantic guitar that is eventually concluded with Jima crooning “she’s gone” over a variety of distorted effects. ‘Ebb & Flow’ is the track most reminiscent of Echo & The Bunnymen, with a buildup of momentous guitars caught up on reverb finally reaching the chorus about mid-way through the song. ‘Taste Of Monday’ is of a similar nature, reminding me of R.E.M. to the fullest extent, with the slight backing vocals really proving to be very effective in a song that is complemented by such a brooding theme of despair. Their debut is highly commendable with a handful of memorable tracks, such as the fantastic ‘She’s Gone’ or ‘Taste Of Monday’. It’s available now on Sarathan Records.
This past Thursday I had the pleasure, courtesy of Filter Mag, of checking out the Seattle based band The Purrs. Never heard of them, but hey it's a show and it's free and after checking out their myspace, I was really excited to check these guys out. I read somewhere of all the "sounds like" quotes. From REM on Loose Talk, Brit Pop in general, early Bowie/VU and since I am a fan of all the before mentioned groups you can expect my surprise when I don't really think that they sound like any of the above mentioned bands. I can sense influences, but you know who they sound like...they sound like The Purrs. A sound that cries out to not be the next passing "Friends" or "Dawson's Creek" flavor of the month and if you've only heard Loose Talk, and you should've by now because it's a great track, you might think this the case, but check out Because I Want To or Get On With Your Life and listen to the lyrics and instrumentation. Man these guys can play.
Now Jima has a great sound on lead vocals, and it's just enough his own to make it really work, but it's almost give or take if it wasn't for the intriguing and entertaining instrumentation of Jason Milne, Craig Keller, and Jason Atkin. And after seeing them live, this only solidifies this initial thought. They put on a great show and were by far the highlight of the night. They brought with them an aura of fun and a sense of confidence, like "hey, we're making it happen". As an audience member, you were glad you were there and they were glad to give most of us, virgin-eared to their sound, an entertaining show.
A great night and if their coming your way make sure to check them out.
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Oh, right. Now I remember why I get excited to try out new music. Its’ because, sometimes, that CD I took a chance on will turn out to be a great debut album from an obscure (thus far) indie band. Such is the case with the premier, self-titled full-length from Seattle’s the Purrs. From the city of grunge, which put an end to the jangly Americana pop underground of the late 1980s, comes this quartet who owe a great debt to the college rock template created by bands like Dream Syndicate, the Church, and Galaxie 500. Two guitars, bass, drums, and the highly expressive vocals of Jima are the stuff the Purrs are made of (to paraphrase one of their song titles). The band’s big hook is their lead singer, although he’s bound to drive some listeners out of the room with his elastic vocals. Jima reminds me, all at once, of Kevin Rowland (Dexy’s Midnight Runners), Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil), Tim Booth (James), and Ken Foreman (the underappreciated Thrashing Doves). Like all of his forefathers, Jima sings in a snarling whine with the occasional hiccup… and it sounds great!
The Purrs also have nine catchy, solidly well-written, and surprisingly mature songs that will quickly lure you in. From the jerky rhythms of the poppy opener “She’s Gone” to the aptly named “Ebb & Flow”, with its codeine sway, these guys infuse each track with melodies that are subtle yet instantly enthralling. “Loose Talk” is a major highlight, with an insistent chorus, some nice “sha-la-la"s, and a thick delay on the guitar reminiscent of Marty Wilson-Piper. And there’s not a clunker to be found on The Purrs. Thanks to their fans at Seattle’s super-cool radio station, KEXP, this very promising band is deservedly on the verge of launching out of the small-time. Matador, Merge, Yep Roc? I hope the A&R folks at the cool, bigger-time indie labels are paying attention. And I hope you are, as well. You might not have heard of the Purrs before today, but, if there’s any justice in this world, you’ll soon be able to brag to your friends about how you got in on the ground floor. -- Michael Keefe
I’ve been falling in love with music a lot more than I usually do lately. With the help and under girding of some new music that explores the past so expertly that some of them might have had a strong career if slipped back into the ‘60s/’70s, I seem to identify lots more. The debut album from The Purrs, their self-titled body of music that sounds like a stretched bar between early Stones in the ‘60s and yet coming off sounding like a wired Johnny Thunders before the heroin absorbed his being. It also has the heart of the late ‘60s Stones at its core.
The Purrs contains 9 tracks of original flashback rock that won’t be ignored. With a bit of psychedelia creeping in some of the songs, as was somewhat prevalent with album-oriented rock in the waning years of the ‘60s, a listen to “Ebb and Flow,” the brilliant “Because I Want To,” and the equally good, "Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of."
Every bit of The Purrs’ album is excellent. -- Matt Rowe
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If you were around the local Indie/Underground/ Alternative scene in the '90s that revolved largely around Sudsy Malone's, you no doubt remember Jim Antonio, manic singer for the ahead-of-their-time local faves Lizard 99 and later a member of Roundhead and Oyster. Antonio now lives in Seattle and has been making some waves with his most recent musical project, THE PURRS, whose tour hits Newport's Southgate House Friday. Antonio (who now goes by simply "Jima") sings and plays bass with The Purrs, who have been kicking around for the past five years, releasing a couple of EPs and the long-player, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. This year, thanks to wider exposure via regular airplay on Seattle's KEXP, they signed with Sarathan Records, ensuring wider distribution. The band's sound mixes the gauzy "shoegazer" aesthetic with a more grounded jingle-jangle, sounding like Brian Jonestown Massacre if they'd heard music made after 1975 or The Verve if they were big Brian Jonestown Massacre fans. -- MIKE BREEN
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Ambition is a dangerous thing for a band. Have too much, and you think you are better than you are. Have too little, and your playing Possum Ridge, Arkansas this weekend. The Purrs seem to have just the right amount, on their first release on an actual record label. The album is a combination of the best of two independantly released albums, and it is gold. Just how far The Purrs can go all depends on how far the want to go. And as they say, “These are the dreams, stuff is made of.”
The Seattle based band has taken it's favorite parts of shoegaze, Britpop, California surf pop, and made a near transcendant record. But what they have compiled together are nine gems of rock and roll theology, and made them their own. Starting with the quirky guitar line from “She's Gone” to the tender noise ballad of “Don't Stop Kicking Me Down” the album is a near modern classic, filled with tunes, desire, energy, and a hint of ambition that says, “Yeah, we're here. We're good. Deal with it.”
With a myriad of things going through my mind, I try to focus on my assignment. This week: The Purrs self titled album. “Hmmm...no press release...weird”, I think to myself. “Anyway, let's put this on. Interesting, nice riff. A good singer.” Good signs all, but it's not until I finish the CD that I feel as though this is a good album. Damn near great. The Purrs could go places.
“She's Gone” is a perfect opener to the album, as it introduces the sound of the band perfectly. A jangly guitar riff, some swirling sonics, and an incredibly catchy tune. This could be a single, but not the first one. “The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of” is the best Britpop ballad I have heard since “The Drugs Don't Work”. All swirling guitars, and a nice lyrical twist. The hook is driven home by lead singer Jima's soaring falsetto. The trend continues with the slow burn of “Connect the Dots”. The song starts in a shoegazer mode, before quickly turning itself into one of the most memorable songs on the album. “She falls apart all the time/So don't be late for the show/She's begging you for a dime/She's feeling so low, yeah she's really let herself go” and then we get takeoff.
“Loose Talk” starts off list the lost REM single, all jangly guitars and ”la, la, la, la's” before the barnburner chorus of “Let me tell you 'bout the loose talk/Ticking time bomb/Needs a reaction/Get my opinion 'bout/Living in this town/With it's distractions/Got you spinning around, and around, and around.” “Ebb & Flow” does just what the title suggests. It is a song the Verve should have made during A Storm in Heaven. More swirling guitar figures, and a shuffling beat. “Because I Want To” features another so simple it's great riff, with Jima's voice cutting through the sound, “Do you think you could see it my way?” “The Taste of Monday” is a nonsensical power pop number, except that damn guitar noise keeps you from dismissing it as such. “Get on With Your Life” has a great picked guitar opening, but it is the weakest track on the album, and the song is pretty damn okay. All of this leads to “Don't Stop Kicking me Down”. A fitting end to the album, it features everything the Purrs are: noise, hooks, and a great arrangement.
The album is slightly long (its nine songs run nearly 50 minutes), but I can't really think of somewhere you can cut it. The album maintains its feel, despite some different production flourishes on different tracks, leaving those without feeling empty. The Purrs are here, and they aren't going anywhere. One of my favorite things about this job is hearing a band's debut album, and instantly wanting to hear what they will do next. The Purrs makes me feel that way. And that is a good feeling.
The Purrs (Sarathan) It's surprising that the Purrs are not a Seattle brand name. A band since 2000, with scads of shows played all over town, the Purrs here offer a new release that could blow their obscurity for good. Fronted by Jim Antonio, the four-piece ensemble interstices guitars, drums, and bass to authentic psych-pop effect reminiscent of Ziggy Stardust or the Velvet Underground. Taking this album for a spin is like cruising in a vintage convertible under an expansive Midwestern sky. Shimmering guitar tracks pass languidly overhead, and the Verve's Richard Ashcroft's voice melts from the radio. This latest effort showcases old material from a previous EP a LP, yielding an ersatz "greatest hits" album re-mastered to a lush, 50-minute patina. Despite positive press and KEXP rotation, some indict the Purrs for being too derivative. Admittedly, certain songs could be mistaken for the Breakfast Club soundtrack, but why knock the post-shoegazer precision? ANGELA ARGENTATI
Who? Seattle band the Purrs came together in 2000 through a regular old classified ad. For the next five years, they gigged around Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, toiling in relative obscurity, but a happy obscurity that allowed them to mellow and mature. The band have been through a few incarnations, but have always centered on lead singer, songwriter, and bassist Jima (pronounced "Jim-A"). Jima is joined in the band by lead guitarist/vocalist Jason Milne, guitarist/vocalist Jason Atkin, drummer Craig Keller, and keyboardist Dayna Loeffle, and the quintet's self-titled label debut has two songs from their 2004 EP, No Particular Bar, No Particular Town, and seven more from their self-produced and released album from last year, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. Of course, all those tracks were remixed, re-mastered, spruced up, and trimmed to perfection.
What's the Deal? You know that song "California Dreamin'" by the Mamas and the Papas? The title sounds like a real sunshiny kind of pop fluff song but then you listen to it and realize it's sad, dark, and utterly brilliant. That's what you get with the Purrs, who blend the bright fun of righteously sweet guitar hooks with woozy psych-rock and a serious devotion to melancholy moodiness. Getting liquored up, which Jima sings about frequently, probably has a bit to do with all that. Like fellow neo-classicists Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Purrs deal in subdued stompers and hazy rave-ups -- the kind of rock that convinces parents their kid is on goofballs.
Fun Fact: The Purrs are happy these days, with a consistent line-up and a big nationwide tour on the horizon. It wasn't always this way. The band's old guitarist was a woman with a knack for getting into fistfights wherever the band would roam. It's the difference between "let's hit the road" and "dear God run for your life!" J. GABRIEL BOYLAN
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With a sound influenced by early David Bowie and the Rolling Stones, as well as latter-day disciples like Suede and the Verve, Seattle quartet the Purrs already owe a musical debt to the UK. Now, with their new, self-titled album, the band join the ranks of another crew of British musicians. Like the Beatles, OMD, and Robbie Williams before, the Purrs' earliest work has been repackaged in one handy volume to introduce them to mass American audiences.
The Purrs (on local imprint Sarathan Records) features two songs from the group's 2004 EP No Particular Bar, No Particular Town and seven from last year's The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of, including the KEXP favorites "She's Gone," "Loose Talk," and "Taste of Monday."
"A lot of tracks off the last album seemed to connect with listeners," says bassist and singer Jima, apropos of this course of action. "I thought it would make more sense, now that we got picked up by a label, to use their marketing machinations to get this music out to more people." Hardcore fans shouldn't lament, though. The live set list draws equally on new, unreleased songs and old favorites.
For now, the Purrs are excited about testing their wares—and stamina—via another classic marketing strategy: extensive touring. "I'm looking forward to seeing how the band functions as a unit," Jima concludes. "Just playing Seattle and Portland isn't the same test of your psychological abilities as sitting together, in a small metal box, for hours on end, every day... smelling each other."
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In the world of music, there are cover bands, bar bands, arena bands, etc., myriad titles that, while pertaining to a particular performance venue, also serve to describe the kind of music, and prowess, one can expect from the band in question. Jima, bassist and lead singer of native-Seattle band The Purrs, recently named one of Filter’s “Artists to Watch,” has often described his band as a bar band who want their audiences to drink, have fun and generally have a good time, something that is made abundantly clear through the songs on their latest self-titled CD, which will be released on local indie label Sarathan Records on September 12th.
Although they have two previous albums to their credit, the EP No Particular Bar, No Particular Town (2004) and the LP The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of (2005), the latter which makes up the majority of the songs included on their new record, their latest release marks their record-label debut, an achievement that Jima credits largely to the constant support received from his local radio station, KEXP.
“Place the blame/credit on KEXP,” says Jima, regarding their Sarathan debut. “Every time we put out a CD they would play like one track, and they played the hell out of the thing. I’d wake up in the morning and have the alarm clock tuned to KEXP and they’d be playing one of my songs.” The Purrs will be going on tour this October to promote their album and most recently played at Seattle's Bumbershoot, one of the country’s top urban arts festivals, alongside well-known acts such as Kanye West, Tribe Called Quest, AFI, Feist and Badly Drawn Boy.
JIVE MAGAZINE (JM): The first thing that I have to ask about is your name—Jima. How exactly do you pronounce it?
Jima (JA): Jim-A. It’s the first initial of my last name. I just felt like putting it in there cause I thought “Jim” was boring and it sort of stuck. I remember in grade school that there were like ten Jim’s in our class and that we were called by our last initial so…
JM: I thought it was pronounced Jima (Jee-ma) and that you were Japanese…
JA: No, I can’t be blessed with anything that cool.
JM: So instead you’re just Jim-a.
JA: Yeah, I’m just a white guy.
JM: Where does your band name come from?
JA: You know, I have no idea. If you’ve been in a band you know that one of the most traumatic experiences is the trial of naming your band…you go through these horrible names, right? And then comes the part where everybody makes a list, in band practice…
One day our drummer just came up with The Purrs and I immediately liked it because it was short. My concept has always been that if the band name is short, and you put it on a flyer, and you put it in a bigger font, you can always see it—you can read it from farther away. There’s a sh*tload of bands out there right now with names like, “I see you and I’m going over here…” really long surnames…if you put that on a flyer you’d need like a microscope to read it.
JM: Never thought of it that way but it makes complete sense. When was the band first formed?
JA: It’s been named The Purrs since the year 2000. We got together then and started playing in a certain form...3/4th of which still exists today. We’ve been playing a lot of shows locally.
JM: Which brings me to my next question: Through the years, so many bands have come out of Seattle, out of the local scene. What is the music community there like?
JA: I don’t know…I’m assuming it’s like any other band scene. I’ve lived in a couple of towns, and I’ve been in the band scene in all of those towns, and everyone always says that the band scene sucks or that it seems really clique—everyone always dishes on their band scene. But a lot of that, I think, is like pissing in your own living room…[But as far as Seattle is concerned], I don’t think it’s that different from any other band scene.
There may be people who you will find to be sort of clique, but if I was an architect, and I hung out with a bunch<
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Wherever there is a need for kitschy, atmospheric beach music, The Purrs will be there. Take the imagery of an ageless coastal California afternoon that bleeds into the evening and splash in accents of British pop/rock and you’d have a vision of their self-titled album. This one took a few plays as background music before the sound hooked me, but it did and pretty well. Even still, this is not music to actively listen to but more of a soundtrack for life. It fills otherwise the lifeless air around you with a mellow cool that occasionally rises to an active Brit-pop/rock tune and pulls back again.
I had a good time with this album. There’s a whiny nature to the lead vocals that set me off a bit at first but I found to work well with the rest of the sound after the break-in period. They have a good sound and an unconventional artistic direction that just works. Check them out at Thepurrs.com if you have a chance
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A Poor Man’s Verve? The skinny on those four dudes from Seattle is that they are nothing more than neo-psychedelic Verve re-gurgitators. While that notion cannot be completely denied, categorizing them as simply a two- bit, Northwestern Yankee version of said band would not do (The Purrs) any justice. The Purrs’ sonically laid back output has many more influences, including the hazy melancholy of Echo and The Bunnymen, the soothing detachment of Mazzy Star, and the narcotic folk of the Cowboy Junkies.
The Purrs have touted this self-titled, record-label debut as ‘greatest hit’ album because it contains two songs from their second EP -No Particular Bar, No Particular Town, 2004 and seven songs from their DIY oeuvre -The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of, 2005. Therefore, if you are a Purrs-head, there is nothing new to discover. However, if you haven’t been tuned to Seattle’s cutting edge KEXP, than you are in for a trippy treat.
Purrs’ Front man and lead singer, Jima (pronounced Jim-A) does not possess the grand vocals that Richard Ashcroft did, but his singing style, while not quite in tune one hundred percent of the time, is chocked full of despair and endearing sincerity. It is this level of genuineness that is The Purr’s strongest asset. This debut, while devoid of the anthemic splendor of The Verve and Echo and The Bunnymen, is also free from the pretense that filled the liner notes of those two aforementioned bands. The apogee of this offering can be found in the mid-section and/or gut; Songs such as “Loose Talk”, “Ebb & Flow,” “Because I Want To” and “Taste of Monday” all sound like tracks from a scaled down, boozier Urban Hymns.
Jima has said that his band is intended to be a bar band, where his audience can have a few drinks, some laughs, and have an overall good time. That sentiment is exactly what is captured on this album. Sure, this LP is short on majesty, but light up that kind bud pinner, take down a few pints and chill, you will really dig the vibe, man…. -- Alex Rendon
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Seattle's The Purrs had multiple hits on local radio station KEXP, and thanks to the breadth of streaming Internet radio, built a fanbase without ever leaving the Emerald City.
Now Sarathan Records is releasing their self-titled, national debut comprised of seven tracks off their Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of LP and some remixes from their No Particular Bar, No Particular Town EP. All we have to say is, "Mmm...shoegazer."
Lyrics about drinking, dreams and songwriting are generally unobtrusive, and musically, there's some Richard Ashcroft (The Verve) and Galaxie 500 influence here. Our favorite track, "Don't Stop Kicking Me Down" reeks of Seattle-"it"-bands. Delicious.
The Purrs hail from Seattle but are not a "Seattle band", which is basically saying that they are not Mudhoney, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green River, Soundgraden or any band that you can think of. There has always been music in Seattle that hasn't been "grunge" anyways. The Purrs are a pop rock band with enough high energy riffage, good lyrics and radio ready singles to take on the big boys from the outset. Now I know when you hear the name The Purrs you are probably thinking the same thing I was--definitley an all girl band, oh how wrong I was and I guess you were too. I mean the Josie and the Pussycats thing was totally in my head when I heard the name. You might not believe it but the rhythm of Josie's cartoon 60's pop actually shares a bit in common with The Purrs.
The Purrs first record, the self titled The Purrs, is oddly enough something of a greatest hits. Before the band got signed to Sarathan Records they released an EP "No Particular Bar, No Particular Town" and a DIY effort "The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of". The band decided to select the best songs from those two records, which comes to 9 tracks, and throw them on one record.
Call me crazy but when I hear 'Connect The Dots' I think it sounds like John Lennon, David Bowie and the guys in Oasis got in a fist fight, well it wouldn't be surprising for the Oasis boys, and someone recorded the brawl. Singer/Bassist Jima's slacker, almost talking vocal style resembles early Bowie, especially when he adds a break in the song and goes "She's feeling low, man!" Also the way the guitar's are a little off kilter and rise to the fore front. It's funny that a band from Seattle could nail Brit-pop so well. 'She's Gone' is either a lost Oasis b-side or a Verve song they never got to do, thanks Keith Richards!, but it's warm "bababadaba" backing vocals and mid tempo pace work well together. The band writes really long songs but hey if you got someone hooked isn't a longer ride more fun? The Purrs don't have a song under 4 and half minutes but that's okay because they have singles in there. Songs like 'Loose Talk' will soon have radio stations emphasising the 5 minute and change single instead of the three minute one. The whole thing is totally of 60's pop or 90's pop over in England, I don't know how else to describe it. The guitars are trippy and bouncing side to side, the vocals are chilled out, all the while trying to create pop music using things that could be so alienating.
The Purrs seem to have world conquest on their mind, and if they keep turning out albums like this one they may just have it. Trippy dippy sixites brit pop who thought of that revival well except Anton Newcombe, but anyways when everyone in the world starts copying this style will know who to thank, The Purrs. The band know what they want and they know just how to get it, by making great music Brit pop on the US soil who would've of thunk it?.
Seattle’s The Purrs released one of the catchiest album since the War of 1812 in 2005 called, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. Also, they are really nice guys who love writing songs about boozin’ and writing songs about writing songs. The Purrs will be releasing a new self-titled album September 12th on Sarathan Records featuring a few tracks from The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of including some remixed tracks. Check out Get On With Your Life, and look the fuck out for a national tour sometime in the fall.
Seattle's own The Purrs released their DIY album The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of in 2005 to great local acclaim and have since been KEXP faves and one of the Emerald City's best kept secrets... until now! The band is all set to release their self-titled full-length next month on September 12th on Sarathan Records before embarking on a national tour in October - stay tuned for dates.
A while back i gave a favorable review to an EP by a Seattle band called The Purrs. They had a certain Verve influence that i found rather appealing, as well as some strong songwriting skills. A few months later i received this CD in the mail. It is The Purrs debut full-length, and it contains almost 79 minutes worth of music.
As an album it works. I have been listening to this disc a lot, and i think that it really shows that the band has a lot of potential. Their songwriting is strong, and they consistently craft catchy tunes with memorable hooks and simple lyrics to scream along with in the car. The guitar work varies from languid strumming to fuzzed out psychedelia, and the rhythms move the tunes along nicely.
This is one of my favorite discs of 2005. I have listened to it innumerable times, and i will continue to listen to it. There are so many good songs here, but let me just go over a few of my favorites.
The first song on the disc, She's Gone, is a fun tune with a happy, loping rhythm. It builds to a nice but unhurried frenzy in the middle, with vocalist Jima really belting his lines. A nice start.
Up next is the title track, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. (Grammar note: shouldn't that be The Dreams Our Stuff Are Made Of?) This is a strange tune that still manages to be appealing. It is almost southern -- a fiddle drones, and it moves at a comfortable 3/4 time, waltzing along nicely. What makes it so odd is the use of unharmonized backing vocals. That is, the backing voice is in a completely different key than Jima, and it creates an interesting contrast. It does grate, but just slightly, but it also works on many levels. An odd effect, but somehow they manage to pull it off.
Don't Stop Kicking Me Down gets off to a wonderful start with a long, slow guitar jam: one guitar chugging away in light arpeggios, the other whirring under a mass of distortion far in the background. Then the voice kicks in, and the tune grooves along nicely at an unhurried pace. It's a fun tune.
My favorite track on the disc might very well be I'm Leaving Today, which starts with the wonderful lyric "Half a dozen ugly people are hanging out in my living room. They'd gladly stab me when the lights go out..." A brutal image, but apparently Jima hates his neighbors. Who knew? Anyway, in addition to some wordplay about being sick of everyone you know, this tune features some nice chiming guitars and competent slide guitar. Jima's voice really works here, and his vocal interplay with the backing voices that are buried in the mix is wonderful. The vocals, combined with the almost whining slide guitar part, make for an excellent tune.
Those are, in my opinion, the best songs on the album, but there are a few other noteworthy parts of songs. For example, drummer Craig Keller really shines on Much Too Much, where he taps the drums in a positively upbeat and happy manner. Guitarists Jason Buchanan and Jason Milne do a very good Church impression on Taste Of Monday with their two guitar parts combining to remind me of the work of Koppes and Wilson-Piper on Forget Yourself. The two Jasons also do a good job on the long noisy jam that closes the album, the aptly titled Seattle Dept. Of Fuck You.
This is good, solid rock music. There are hints of many acts that have come before in what The Purrs are doing here. At times i can hear a bit of The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Verve, and yes even the ever-popular Echo and the Bunnymen. This is rock music to be played loudly in dingy bars. It is guitar work to blare at maximum volume with the windows down as you sail down the highway. It's loud catchy stuff to play on the stereo as you bounce around your home.
However, i can see how this would fail to appeal to some people. Jima's voice is kind of high in the mix, and he does kind of whine a bit. Also, despite my enjoyment of what The Purrs are doing here, i have to admit that it's not particularly innovative. That is to say, they
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One of my favourite guitar bands of the last couple of years has been The Purrs whose 2004 e.p. was one of the years highlights including, as it did, the epic “Creeping Coastline Of Lights” a tune which still makes regular visits to my stereo. Now the bands have released their debut album full of jangly psychedelic songs that are beautifully arranged and played. Various reviews of this band have mentioned the dreaded phrase “Brit-pop” but, although the vocals have a passing resemblance to Richard Ashcroft (The Verve), to my ears the band have a sound more akin to The Church, Galaxie 500 or even The Green Pyjamas, making them far more interesting than any Brit-pop band I can think of.
Full of chiming guitar, the title track is the first highlight, offering gentle waves of melody that wash over you in a delightful way, whilst “Loose Talk” has a velvets groove complete with sing-along vocals. Things are slowed down for “Won’t Stop Kicking Me Down” the gentle wistful melody hiding some truly vitriolic lyrics that are well written and get the point across. Possibly the strongest song on the album “Taste Of Monday” seems to encapsulate everything the band is about, the guitar ringing through the skies as the melody dances on the ground below, creating a paisley pop classic that ends too soon and is the start of an epic five song sequence that finishes the album in glorious style finally drifting off with the psychedelic floatation tank that is “Seattle Dept Of Fuck….” On which the band discover early 70’s Floyd and trip out for seven minutes of bliss.
These days self financing and releasing a 72-minute album on your own is a brave and confident move. The Purrs seem to have pulled it off and must now hope that they reap the rewards for their endeavours, I, for one, wish them every success. (Simon Lewis)
The Purrs Thurs Sept 15, Seattle Art Museum, 5:30–7:30 pm, music free with museum admission, all ages.
"Everybody's got a band that they're in the closet about," says the Purrs frontman Jima. "I have a huge love of the band Suede."
While Suede can get a bum rap, it's impossible to deny their influence on '90s Britpop. Sidestepping Manchester's shoegazing and dance-pop scenes for the dark sexual glam of Bowie and the Smiths, Suede brought the three-minute single back to the UK. They also influenced a string of stateside bands, including Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols, all of whom factor into the Purrs' sound.
Formed after answering a classified ad in this very publication, the Purrs have gigged endlessly about town since 2000, self-released two EPs and, in July of this year, put out their first full-length, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of.
A true long player, Dreams clocks in at just over an hour. Though recorded in Jima's home studio, the album is a grand affair with enough echo to sound like it was recorded during sound check at a concert hall. Vocally, Jima evokes the straining emotional agony of Richard Ashcroft and the band mostly follows suit, styling themselves around the swirly pop vein of the Verve. "Loose Talk" is a Stones-y stomp, as is "Much Too Much," with its Gimme Shelter-esque riffs and guitarists Jason Milne and Jason Buchanan are steeped in jangly psychedelia. Together, their interstellar noodling also veers off into Echo & the Bunnymen territory, and the final seven-minute instrumental track ("Seattle Dept. of Fuck You") is a guitar epic that sends listeners into a "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" space trip. Ultimately, this mix of Britpop, psych- and space-rock places the band neatly within the crop of UK-leaning young Northwest acts like Zero Points, the Village Green, and Derby.
Thanks also to bolstering from KEXP, numerous heads have started turning the Purrs' way. Just the other day, Jima shipped a copy of their disc to a fan in Germany. Not bad for a band that's rarely strayed from the Puget Sound area. "That's all KEXP," Jima admits. "I think single-handedly KEXP pushed it and that helped a lot."
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Mewling a sing-along arrogance both hazy and majestic, the Purrs couldnt have been better named. Debut album The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of blends vocalist Jimas swaggering vocals, doo-wop opiate harmonies and angelic guitar lines with soul and precision. JAY HORTON. [Pop]
One thing is for sure, Seattle-based combo the Purrs are persistent. After a string of EPs and piles of shows in their hometown over the last few years, they have taken it upon themselves to release their first full-length album as a 70-minute-plus opus without any support, even from an indie label. It might be a gamble, but after hearing the songs, you can see why they are so determined. With a sound hinting at both Galaxie 500 and the Brian Jonestown Massacre influences, the 13 tracks on the album are rooted in catchy, jangly guitar hooks, and steeped in just the right amount of reverb. There is a nice mix of both quiet and epic-sounding post-shoegazer rock here, and singer Jima has a hazy, laidback style that marries itself nicely to the rich textures of the music. There is a refreshing sense that the Purrs made no attempt to follow current trends for the sake of it. These guys know what they like, and they stick to it. There is a lot of material to chew on here, and although this might be too much for the casual observer, those even remotely interested in the psych-pop scene will definitely want to take a peek.
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I also checked out the Purrs that same night (8/25/05 at Neumos), a wonderful Seattle band also bending back the clock—this time to the heyday of MTV's 120 Minutes. With a frontman who bears a vocal resemblance to Richard Ashcroft, the band glided between Suede-style Brit-pop drama and Brian Jonestown Massacre-style jangling psychedelia. Good stuff. - JENNIFER MAERZ
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At 2:50pm - Music Reviews with Cheryl Waters The Purrs are one of the better overlooked bands of our fair city. Rarely a month goes by where their name doesn't apppear on a club calendar, yet they remain buried in obscurity.Their latest album The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made of is fabulous and, surprisingly, is self-released. For the life of me, I don't understand why this band, who have been around for several years now, has not made a bigger splash. I hope it's just a matter of time. Their style harkens back to the 80's British psychedelic era, reminding me of bands like The Verve and Echo and the Bunnymen with long, psychedelic intros of meandering guitar and that bleeds into a mellow echoed groove. When the vocals kick in, the songs really descends into Verve/Bunnymen territory, with soaring solos of long notes, thudding drums, and prominent vocals. There's wonderful variety in the new albums with that delicious psychedelic sound rounded out by some slightly twang-inflected songs.
The Purrs been running mini-tours throughout the NW for the past few years and this has resulted in a tremendous chemistry that totally comes across in their recorded work and their live shows are incredible. Fortunately for locals, there are plenty of opportunities to see them live up and down the west coast (check out thepurrs.com). See them while you can. I expect big things for this band.
The Purrs The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of Self-Release (June 2005) words: Michael D. Ayers
Clearly, Seattle has a gem in The Purrs.
They waste no time letting listeners know what their sound’s all about in the opening tracks of their new album, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. They take 60’s Animals/Stones style, mixed with bluesy pop, and put a great psych-twist on it.
A formula so simple shouldn’t make for a revolutionary album.
And maybe its not revolutionary, but, it sure is catchy—some of the catchiest psych-pop I’ve heard lately.
The Purrs obvious distortion of key influences, like Galaxie 500 and the late-era Jesus and Mary Chain, while delivering hooks to invite repeated listens, makes the band’s debut album more than enjoyable—it’s downright refreshing.
But most infectious about this band is their tendency to repeat song titles over and over at the song’s end, like in the tracks, “Coming Out of the Clouds” and “She’s Gone.” It runs the risk of sounding lame, but the Purrs manage to pull it off. The lead singer/bassist Jima’s (yes, just Jima) high vocals, slightly reminiscent of Frank Black, sport top-notch annunciation, which gives the Purrs’ lyrics a quality nearly obsolete in contemporary times: you can understand it.
The tracks are strong on The Dreams Our Stuff Is. It clocks over 70 minutes, and it’s well-worth the investment.
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The Purrs - The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of By Nadeem Ali ‘She’s Gone’ the opener to The Purrs debut album is a perfect slice of swooning psyche-pop. It shimmers like Echo And The Bunnymen playing in the Cornish sun while angels sup from the golden rays. Unfortunately for us the rest of the album fails to live up to the high standards The Purrs set for themselves. On occasion they come close but never quite manage to regain that magic. Ethereal melodies float about like clouds embracing bright blue skies. Their laid back smoochy wandering is still charming enough to make ‘The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of’ a worthy investment.
After hearing my favorite morning DJ John Richards (KEXP) rave about The Purrs, I knew I wanted to do a review of their The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. After a couple of listens, I have to say that The Purrs are much better drunk; me not them. Or maybe as I drink more and get closer to the end of the album the songs just get better. I think it's actually the latter and not just the wine talking/listening.
Looking at the all the song titles on this album you would guess lead singer, Jima, has had a nasty breakup recently. Opening track "She's Gone" establishes The Purrs' jangly guitar ways and also reveals Jima to not be the cleanest vocalist, but I have to admit that when done with honesty and sincerity, as is the case here, I love the less than pristine vocal style. Hinted at in the opener and even more clearly displayed on the title track and throughout the album are the band's desire to create a somewhat dreamier atmosphere and also their willingness to fully develop a song. It may take a while to get through The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of's 72 minutes, but after a couple of listens, it becomes clear why John Richards was willing to declare that The Purrs are "your new favorite band". -Yaeka Katsuta
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The Purrs debut with a nice, strong dose of psych-pop. Long, languid numbers spiral and unfurl into the air like smoke. “The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of” follows last year’s “No Particular Bar, No Particular Town” EP, which elicited comparisons to Echo and the Bunnymen, Galaxie 500 and the Verve. On their full-length, they sound more like Love fronted by Steve Wynn from the Dream Syndicate. Promising stuff indeed, although Stima’s uneven vocals do sometimes threaten to break the mood the band is so adept at setting.—KCF
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(High Dive) As their name might suggest, local act the Purrs are practitioners of pop lullabies—but of the highly stylized variety. Their Richard Ashcroft–dipped Brit-pop bliss is full of aching vocals, reverbed guitar riffs, and balmy shoegazer melodies floating in a similar galactic space as predecessors like Brian Jonestown Massacre or Vue. Tonight marks the CD release show for The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of, a disc focused on the second word of that title, offering heavy-lidded, languid songs that leave vapor trails across your brain. -- JENNIFER MAERZ.
This album is warm, smooth, comforting and slightly unsettling. In the ever-growing world of manufactured pop songs, it's wonderful to have an album like this. Vocals that take their time, guitar licks making their own point and enough psych rock references all add up to a invigorating break from the norm.
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Fuzzy melodic pop that melds the woozy melodies of Galaxie 500, the disaffected nasal vocals of Lou Reed and the warped psychedelic guitar solos of the Byrds or Love. - TIZZY ASHER
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“Its got some Television. Its got some Brian Jonestown Massacre. Its got some Luna.”
This is a tagline from the Purrs website (http://www.thepurrs.com) that describes the sound of their first full length release, “The Dreams our Stuff is Made of”. Drawing from the moody, rhythm-driven work from these bands, the Purrs have created a sparkling full-length effort that emanates a heady vibe of angst, introspection, and gut emotion.
The Purrs' sound has earmarks of a myriad of bands from yesterday and today. The tight rhythm section calls to mind the Dandy Warhols. Guitarist Jason Milne's spindly, atmospheric, other-worldly guitar reminds you of Will Sergeant or Tom Verlaine. Jima's deadpan vocals indicate a deference to Dean Wareham with a touch of Mick Jagger. But make no mistake though, The Purrs are no 'retro' band, content to just duplicate a sound from years passed.
The Purrs' strength lies in their great collective sense of composition. Their songs are full, but not cluttered. The rhythm guitar is actually an integral part of the music — not just filler that is barely audible. Seeing them for the first time at the Crocodile a few weeks ago, I was amazed at the symmetry of their sound. Far too many bands seem to bludgeon audiences with a wall of sound that blurs the finer points of the effort. Not so with the Purrs. Their songs are carefully crafted, where every note from every instrument has a purpose.
At the core of their sound is the impressive guitar work from Jason Milne. Never spinning out of control, Milne plays with precision and imagination. It is a pleasure to watch him work like a mad scientist in the background, adding quirky textural bits to the songs, providing the perfect compliment to Jima's impassioned vocals.
The Purrs are steadily growing a following in town. Their music is getting a great deal of airplay on KEXP and I suspect that it is only a matter of time before they are signed to a record deal. Thursday's CD Release Party at the High Dive should attract a good number of new fans, so be sure to get there early. - MARCO D'AMICO
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Who knew the Verve had gotten back together? With Evergreen-era Echo and the Bunnymen? Uncanny how a boy from Seattle can channel Richard Ashcroft and Ian McCollough. Backed by the same dreamy guitars and sparkling cymbals as the bands they fronted. With a splash of Love and Rockets. Another EP that makes me look forward to the full-length album. - meredith
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The Purrs - The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of (self-released) This Seattle band follows up their two earlier EPs with a promising debut full-length of hazy psych-pop, combining languid tempos with blissed-out guitar lines for a dreamy, slow-burning sound reminiscent of Galaxie 500. -DON YATES
Here's a group all of you out there can name-drop and sound cool when no one knows who the hell you are talking about: Seattle's The Purrs. Spacey alt-country that doesn't make you blanch. The Purrs' "No Particular Bar, No Particular Town" EP has been a recent favorite in the disco of my mind. It is the tranced-out reinterpretation of the Leaving Trains' "Creeping Coastline of Lights" in particular, what with the trance-inducing organs and "Easy Rider" samples. - RYAN NYBURG
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Those who prefer a mellower guitar sound would do well to get ahold of ‘No Particular Bar, No Particular Town’ by The Purrs, which offers four songs of great quality. Standout track is the nine minute epic ‘Crepping Coastline of Lights’ which sounds like Galaxie 500 jamming with Tom Verlaine on a summers evening. Also available is their first EP that was recoded mainly as a demo, but is not hampered by the recording quality, which adds a lo-fi charm to the songs, particularly on the wistful ‘It Could Be So Wonderful’. - SIMON LEWIS.
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As a music critic, sometimes i worry that i miss a few things. For example, when The Purrs sent us their latest EP for review, they included three pages of press material in which various other critics lauded their similarity to Echo and the Bunnymen. I dunno why, but i just never got into the Bunnymen. I don't hate them really, it's just that I am strongly ambivalent towards them. On the other hand, i really dig Verve, and when i listen to No Particular Bar, No Particular Town what i hear is A Storm In Heaven rather than Crocodiles. However, this whole comparison thing makes me somewhat uneasy. What am i not getting in Echo and the Bunnymen? Is there a connection between them and Verve as well? If I like this EP, will I like albums by Echo and the Bunnymen?
Hmmmm.
Anyway, as i was saying, the No Particular Bar, No Particular Town EP reminds me of Verve. Specifically, vocalist Jima has a slightly nasally, slightly high-pitched, slow manner of singing that reminds me of Richard Ashcroft, and the guitars are tremolo-y, distorted, and chiming like the work of Nick McCabe. And that's a good thing really. The whole album is steeped in a vaguely psychedelic, slightly bluesy mood that moves along at mid-tempo pace. It's really nice, if you like that kind of thing. There are 4 songs on the EP, three original tunes and a cover. Let's go over each.
The Purrs kick things off with Ebb & Flow, which starts with a long, psychedelic intro of meandering guitar and tinkling drums that bleeds into a mellow echoed groove. When Jima starts singing the song really descends into Verve territory, with soaring solos of long notes, thudding drums, and prominent vocals. This is a groovey mellow rocker.
The second song, Because I Want To starts with jangling guitars and then gets nicely loud and fuzzy. This is a loud distorted rocker, with Jima really belting out the lyrics. I bet this is a great sing along in concert. The chorus and bridge are really catchy with all of the band singing "do do do do ahhhhhh" as the guitars grind away and drummer Greg Keller beats his kit into submission. This is a damned fine tune.
Keeping up with my Verve comparison, if track 1 is A Storm In Heaven and track 2 is A Northern Soul, then track 3, Don't Talk About Tomorrow is Urban Hymns. It's nice and catchy and very polished. The voice is still echoed like crazy, but the guitarwork here is bluesier and slightly less distorted. It moves along at a nice, loping pace.
Now, at the start of track 4, we have only heard 17 minutes of the nearly 30 minutes on the EP. That means that the final track is a long one. It's called Creeping Coastline of Lights, and is apparently a cover of a song by a band called Leaving Trains, whom i have never head of before. This song sounds entirely different than everything else on the album, specifically in the guitarwork which, rather than being echoed and fuzzy, here consists of a series of trebly arpeggios that sound like Klaus Flouride on downers. Now, i am unfamiliar with the original of this song, so i can't say how faithful of a cover it is. However, i get bored with it at about the halfway point, which is kind of a bummer because it ends the EP on a down note.
On the whole though, their three original songs are very strong. The Purrs obviously have some talent, and i bet they are incredible in concert. And despite the disappointment at the end of the EP, i do like it. I think it might have been better if they trimmed that final tune in half, but whatever.
Now, if you are unfamiliar with Verve, maybe it will help to substitute "Echo and the Bunnymen" into the comparisons above. I can't speak to how much this band sounds like the Bunnymen, although i can tell you that Verve fans will find much to enjoy here.
Let's count off the groundbreaking '80s bands that have recently been revisited: the Cure, Joy Division, and to a lesser extent (though he didn't catch on) Gary Numan. Am I missing anyone? Who's due? Yes, Echo and the Bunnymen should hit any minute now, and The Purrs have their wristband for first in line on Saturday morning. These guys exude the same dreamy mood -- juxtaposed with dark castles, seaside sunrises at the end of the world, and a strong sense of vintage Nashville -- that the once-great Bunnymen made their stock in trade. No Particular Bar, No Particular Town is rife with long songs (in the "pop" scope, that is) that mix an Impressionistic texture of twanging, bloated guitars, vocal harmonies, echoing snares and reverb trails up the wazoo. Vocalist Jima broods and stretches his gravelly croon into Ian McCulloch range, somewhere between tenor and baritone with equal parts Morrison and Lennon, while singing a new yet familiar set of riddles. Example: "I'm the brother, I'm the mother, I'm the father, I'm the Son of Sam". Don't get me wrong -- it's all done really well, and if it weren't for the taint of familiarity, I might weep at "Don't Talk About Tomorrow"'s lilting guitar slides and echoing vocal feedback, or the impressive use of tremolo on "Because I Don't Want To", or the trippy psychedelic organ on the cover of the Leaving Trains' "Creeping Coastline of Lights". If you have no idea who I'm talking about, you should either (a) buy the disc immediately, celebrate No Particular Bar, No Particular Town as genius and forget the name Echo and the Bunnymen, or (b) go to the source (i.e. Crocodiles, Porcupine). It's been a long time since Echo produced anything that impressed me, so, I welcomed The Purrs' borrowed nostalgia...but after a few listens I decided to stick with the original. -- Dave Madden
Invoking the ghost of Verve's Richard Ashcroft (who, for those keeping score, is not dead but might as well be), Purrs leadman Jima slinks out of Seattle backed by a blissed-out sound that most definitely has its roots in the Madchester scene of the early '90s. The band's latest EP, No Particular Bar, No Particular Town, takes British-influenced guitar pop and stretches it like taffy, forcing listeners to grab the nearest beanbag chair. (MB) [POP]
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The Purrs release their second EP, "No Particular Bar, No Particular Town," tomorrow at the Hideaway (9 p.m.; $7). It's the aural equivalent of having a cat sleep on your head: warm, fuzzy and gently rumbling from some deep internal space you can't identify. Graig Markel and Actionslacks headline the show. - Tizzy Asher
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April 15 2004
The Stranger
Up and Coming - This Week's Music Picks
(Dubliner) I love the name of the Purrs’ EP: No Particular Bar, No Particular Town. It’s sweet, slow, building, reverb-heavy, and maybe sounds like a higher pitched Jim Reid, had he held down the angst on Darklands. Jima (one name) sings, and the record is pretty enough to make me want to check the band out live. I love a band that can stretch an ordinary word-like Jima does with “flow”- to three syllables, especially because flow becomes FLAWWHAHA. - KATHLEEN WILSON.
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December 11 2003
The Tablet
Music Pick - - The Purrs, Explosions In the Sky, Lazarus At The Crocodile
If the guitarist of The Purrs hadn't handed the demo to me personally, I'd swear that I had just uncovered some unreleased Galaxie 500 tracks. That's no insult to them: every American band to come out of the shoegaze movement has borrowed immensely from G500 (see the Dandy Warhols, American Analog Set). Here's your chance to catch a dreamy, Velvety local band that's got great pop hooks. - NATHAN WALKER.
(Sunset) Local four-piece the Purrs play delicate rock- the kind that moves at the pace of a Velvet Underground or Luna song and exists in a dreamy, languid state of minimal effects. Their four-song EP is a quiet set of heavy-lidded jangle pop, punctuated by understated male/female harmonies and soft little coos. - JENNIFER MAERZ
The Purrs are one of the better overlooked bands of our fair city. Rarely a month goes by where their name doesn't appear on a club calendar, yet they remain buried in obscurity. Hopefully, more of you will take initiative and check these guys out. Their style is vaguely Pixie-esque with solid twang leanings but total indie-rock core. They've been running mini-tours throughout the NW for the past few years and this has resulted in a tremendous chemistry that totally comes across in their recorded work. How will it fit in the cozy basement of the Showbox? Well, like I said, you really should check out this band. -- Jeff Rush
