Pure Reason Revolution - The Dark Third (US/UK)
Pure Reason Revolution - Cautionary Tales for the Brave (EP/bonus)
Pure Reason Revolution - The Intention Craft (SP)
Pure Reason Revolution are a deceptively complex pop group. A few listens into the US version of their debut album The Dark Third, I was afraid that the candy-like melodic nature of the music would shorten the music’s halflife, but what I found to be true was totally different, that the apparent simplicity was actually more than the sum of its parts.
Most of the melodic movement happens among the vocal harmonies. Sure, the Beach Boys are the obvious influence, but if we can recognize the Beach Boys through PRR it’s a Pet Sounds or even a Smile type of sound, a psychedelic pop that even reminds me of S. F. Sorrow at times. Listening to the way they craft the vocals really draws me into the greater structure of the music, there seems to be a lot of circular thematics, one vocalist often picks up on another’s tail and a cyclic structure hammers home the trickily simple and addictive songs.
Among the various album versions and related EPs, certain songs start to catch on quick, the obvious being “The Bright Ambassadors of Morning” in which the band nabs a Pink Floyd lyric and does something with it a bit more like Yes. The hooks are really sharp throughout, mixing in some heavier bar chords in with more ethereal moments. Listening on another level reveals the keyboard work, something akin to Ozric Tentacles with the fat analog squelches and flourishes.
“The Intention Craft” seems to be the more obvious single, condensing the band’s sound, except for the long instrumental sections. It’s probably the best candidate for wearing out its welcome early, but again, the band’s attention to detail on all levels puts it closer to a “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” than the pop blotch on the prog record. Similar but a bit more advanced is “Bullits Dominae.” The guitars here sound like they’d go fine on a Godspeed You Black Emperor or Mogwai album, but the harmonies and huge chords weave several melodies together at various points in the song. Again, I’m reminded of Blue Oyster Cult, particularly the songs Buck Dharma sang, in fact Agents of Fortune and Spectres have a really similar mood, sizing a song like BOC’s ”Golden Age of Leather” next to “Nimos & Tambos” shows some surprising similarities (not to mention the occasional hint of Christine McVie in Fleetwood Mac). “Goshen’s Remains” just about makes my spine catch on fire with its chorus. The moods always seem to balance a dreamy etherality with alternating currents of power and dispersion and the blend is rich, the vocals, guitars and keys almost symphonic; if it weren’t for the clear space rock tendencies, this could have been just a little too far on the sweet side.
For me, this could be a quick trajectory to higher grades and then a slow burn, but generally speaking, the whole PRR canon to date is some of the most compelling listening I’ve had in quite some time, it’s about time someone elevated the level of songwriting in the field and show how powerful vocals can be in this sort of format.