Review: Pure X - Angel
[Fat Possum, 2014]
Rating: 3/10
By James Cain, Contributor
Key Tracks: “Fly Away With Me Woman,” “Heaven”
It is very apt that Pure X, a shortening for its previous band name Pure Ecstasy, created this album. It’s airy, lighthearted and steamy. And just like the namesake drug’s effect, it makes a lot of rather boring things seem way cooler than they really are.
This is a step in a new direction for the Texas quartet. These are all upbeat tracks that follow a romantic theme, making the album have some sense of cohesion. The two earlier productions had none of this, especially Crawling Up The Stairs, which was much darker in comparison to this swooning affair’s sickly sweet rhythms.
Then again, that is exactly what Pure X set out to achieve. According to drummer Austin Youngblood, this is a “record for the ladies, about the ladies.” It would seem that the band certainly hit home with that demographic.
Admittedly, Angel is a somewhat fun listen. This four-piece lays down some super-bouncy, smile-inducing tracks that are an interesting mix of chillwave, pop and psychedelia. The album has a bare-bones feel with most songs only featuring vocals backed by a twelve-string guitar, a synth line and a drum kit.
Some of the tracks, namely “Starlight,” give off an acoustic Pink Floyd vibe--if David Gilmour sang far above his vocal range. The majority of the songs here play out like a soundtrack to a beachy summer vacation romance. Songs like “Fly Away With Me Woman” make it too easy to see oneself drifting down a river or laying on the shoreline looking rather pensive.
“Heaven” is a fairly cool track that falls in line with the romantic theme, as the chorus repeats the line, “Heaven is a feeling / One that I can believe in,” in reference to the singer’s lady friend. It features a catchy rhythm section and an echoey guitar that instantly creates the image of an empty island somewhere in the Caribbean.
The sound is the album’s most negative aspect. The airy beach vibe may be neat, but it quickly loses its novelty. There is not much musical variance here to keep the album fresh from track to track, and because of this the attempted work of romance becomes a snoozefest about four songs in.
See, this is the kind of premise that is better suited for a simple EP, not a full-fledged concept album. There just isn’t enough here. What Pure X should have done in three or four tracks it managed to stretch to a tedious 11.
Unless one is spending a relaxing day by some sun-bleached body of water or is trying to woo a lady friend over dinner, Angel will most likely only succeed in putting him or her to sleep. But at least the listener will have some pleasant white noise while catching 40 winks.
