PURSON

We'd seen strong hints on The Circle and the Blue Door that the retro stylings of Purson included a strong interest in the prog-psych boundary - that intriguing sound that existed in the late 1960s and early 1970s when progressive rock still hadn't quite disentangled itself from the artier end of the psychedelic scene.

On Desire's Magic Theatre, Rosalie Cunningham and her cohorts steer Purson away from the heavier territory of their debut album in order to more deeply explore the different nooks and crannies of that era, whilst delivering an album which applies modern production values and the benefit of some five decades' hindsight to the material. Jazz, Tull- esque flute, disorienting psychedelia and a small epic in the closing Bitter Suite finds Purson going from strength to strength. Due to its exploratory nature, it doesn't quite feel like it's hanging together as well as the debut album did, but the musical evolution on display is appreciable.

Purson is one of those bands which is essentially the vehicle for the creative vision of a particular purson - er, I mean person. That purson - sorry, person - is singer-guitarist Rosalie Cunningham, the band's only constant member, and she's set her aesthetic sights firmly on the heavy prog-psych sound of the early 1970s.

The Circle and the Blue Door is an occult-tinged visit to a time when heavy metal, psychedelic rock, and prog hadn't quite diverged into three entirely distinct musical streams yet - an era where it made absolute sense for a label like Vertigo to have acts as diverse as Catapila, Affinity, and Black Sabbath on it and describe them all as "progressive rock".

As time passed the meaning of that term evolved, moved on, and was redefined, as the prog scene focused more on technical wizardry and compositional complexity and the proto-metal scene got shaken up by acts like Budgie or Judas Priest injecting more speed and aggression into the style. Cunningham, however, clearly knows her musical history and understands that there was a time when a heavy psych album could skip its way through early proto-prog/proto- metal territory as the whim took it.

We've seen this before, of course - Blood Ceremony base their entire schtick on it - but this debut album delivers this style in masterful fashion. There's an ugly tendency, especially in prog or metal circles, to question the credentials of frontwomen and to attribute most of the musical and compositional proficiency of a band to male band members, but it's absolutely clear from her guitar's prominence and from her lead role in the songwriting that Cunningham isn't just there for aesthetic reasons.

No, this is clearly music she believes in passionately, and by the time you're done listening you'll be a believer too. With those drum rolls, fuzzy guitar, and production touches, you might even believe that Purson were right there in 1971 opening for Jethro Tull or Black Widow.

PURSON are from England and play sort of a Folk/Psych/Heavy style of Prog. They seem to be into the occult as far as lyrics go although they do well at making the words vague. And the name PURSON is demonic. So not surprisingly they get compared to BLOOD CEREMONY, COVEN and BLACK WIDOW. They have a retro sound with an abundance of mellotron from Rosalie's M400. She's also the singer. The tracks are all incredibly catchy but this just hasn't won me over.

"Wake Up Sleepy Head" opens with acoustic guitar as the mellotron flute joins in then reserved vocals. Some mellotron strings later. A short mellow tune to get us started. "The Contract" again has plenty of mellotron and it's also laid back with vocals but it kicks into gear before 1 1/2 minutes. I like these contrasts as they continue.

"Spiderweb Farm" is a top two track for me. Drums build as the guitar joins in. This is great! That familiar melody arrives with vocals around a minute. Such a catchy and powerful song. Again I like the contrasts as it does settle down at times. Fuzzed out guitar as she starts to speak words before 3 minutes. Then it kicks back in to that heavy sound with vocals. I really like the instrumental section after 4 minutes especially the guitar. Sounds like a circus melody put through a blender to end it.

"Sailor's Wife's Lament" opens with seagulls and water sounds as a melody arrives with laid back vocals. This is catchy and mellow. Mellotron flutes before 2 minutes and a minute later. A folky tune with the emphasis on the lyrics. This ends like the previous tune strangely enough. "Leaning On A Bear" has an uptempo CAMEL-like soundscape as the vocals join in. Catchy.

"Tempest And The Tide" has a beat with mellotron, guitar and vocals standing out early. Again a folky tune that's laid back. The mellotron 1 1/2 minutes in is so good. Kind of a cool ending the way they slow it down. "Mavericks And Mystics" is uptempo with vocals. A straight forward tune that does little for me. Again it's catchy and we get some brief mellotron to end it.

"Well Spoiled Machine" is the other top two for me. I just like the groove here and the depth of sound. Again it's so catchy especially on the chorus. The mellotron comes and goes. "Sapphire Ward" has more of the same really but I do like the organ and also the way they slow things down 1 1/2 minutes in with vocals, it kicks back in quickly though. Check out the mellotron after 2 1/2 minutes and the guitar that follows. Nice.

"Rocking Horse" is slowed down early on with vocals before turning more powerful just before a minute. Contrasts continue. Some mellotron at 1 1/2 minutes. "Tragic Catastrophe" opens with guitar expressions with bass before the drums, vocals and mellotron arrive. Not sure about the lyrics to this one but a disappointing ending to this album.

Take my rating with a grain of salt as this album appears to be very popular every where I looked. It's just me! I was sad to hear that the band recently broke up. Lastly I like that the powers that be here put this in Crossover. Most would think Folk or Psychedelic but man this is more than those two genres of music and it's so catchy.

Purson of interest!

While I often enjoy retro-prog albums, I rarely find myself as enthralled as I have been with this album. I just can't seem to bring myself to remove this disc from my CD player.

Emulating styles and sounds of the late sixties and early seventies, Rosalie Cunningham and her crew have crafted an album that purferctly captures the spirit of those times, evoking many classics artists without coming across as imitative. I purceive the cabaret jauntiness of The Doors, the ominous blues of The Animals, a bit of Jimi Hendrix, production that evokes The Beatles, and nods to plenty of other classic art rock and prog acts.

The album begins with a train arriving, and Purson launching into the title track, "Desire's Magic Theatre", a hard rocking piece powered by a strong fuzz bass, that smoothly transitions into a light symphonic break, before returning to the meat of the song, and finally a jazzy outro. Phew!

If that doesn't get you fired up, the next track, the Hendrix inspired "Electric Landlady" (get it?) follows, with appropriate soaring guitars, and very clever lyrics.

And there is no letdown throughout the set. Tracks begin with a nod to one style, and proceed to travel through many other musical landscapes. Cunningham's compositions deftly draw the band through these aural wonderlands seamlessly, making every track a joy.

Cunningham herself delivers each song masterfully. Her vocal purformance, sometimes sweet, sometimes seductive, always delivers her lyrics in exactly the manner her music demands. The lyrics, in keeping with the classic motif, generously offer love and dragonflies and other images from that explorative, somewhat innocent time.

While I love every track, I have to give a shout out to the aforementioned "Electric Landlady", "The Sky Parade" with mellotron and a style reminiscent of King Crimson's "Epitaph", and "The Bitter Suite", which begins as a ballad, and runs through many styles, including a Jethro Tull like flute break, and a cool jazz ending.

The mark of a truly great album is that when it is over, the listener is left with a desire to hear more. At the end of this album, when Purson's train pulls away from the station, that feeling is as intense as ever.

I truly hope this band gets the attention they deserve, as I feel that they have the talent and accessibility to transcend the progressive rock world, and make an impact on the popular music scene.

Just when I thought that I was done going though all of Purson releases, the band puts out a new EP featuring four new songs. Let's get right into In The Meantime!

The four tracks show us quite a bit of versatility in sound while featuring that distinct style that the band have been known for. Yes, all of the tracks have that distinct retro feel that Purson have had ever since their debut EP Rocking Horse, back in 2012, but there is so much more going on on these tracks which should be interesting for people who appreciate well constructed compositions.

Even though the two opening tracks only take up one third of the EP running time, I actually find these two compositions most inspiring. Death's Kiss is a short but very memorable track which might not be as heavy as some of the band's regular material but definitely shows what Purson are capable of. Danse Macabre is probably my favorite track of the bunch. It doesn't take much time for the composition to get going and the melodic hook is well worth the single status that the track has received.

Wanted Man is the most psychedelic composition and it could have easily been turned into a 15 minute track. Luckily, Purson are able to show good judgment and restrain themselves from just that. I Will Be Good is a bit slower track that features sounds of Mellotron. The only complain that I have towards the closing track is that it could have easily been a few minutes shorter.

In The Meantime shows that Purson is still experimenting with their musical direction, which means that there is no general consensus towards which direction their future material will embrace. One thing is for curtain; I will definitely continue to follow the band with enthusiasm.

**** star songs: Death's Kiss (2:42) Danse Macabre (4:00) Wanted Man (6:35) I Will Be Good (5:30)

The Contract was the second single off the band's debut album The Circle & The Blue Door. This single was released almost a month after Purson released the video for the song on their YouTube channel PursonMusic. Even though I like the song, it was far from one of my favorites among the eleven tracks featured on the band's debut album. If anything, it's a very representative track of Purson and their style so if you enjoy the composition then remember that there is more even better material out there to discover.

The second track, The Blueprint Of The Dream, is one of those pretty generic Purson tracks that aren't really bad but lack the melodic hook that would make it a standout moment. This is almost an acoustic track that features only a few sounds of electric guitars and the familiar sound of organ that otherwise dominate the band's repertoire. I'd say that you'll be better off purchasing the band's debut album The Circle & The Blue Door or their debut EP Rocking Horse before exploring this single.

**** star songs: The Contract (4:11)

*** star songs: Blueprint Of The Dream (3:25)

2013 was the year that Purson had finally released their debut album and it was pretty much as good as I was expecting it to be! After the debut EP in 2013 and the first single Leaning On A Bear, my expectations upon this release were really high. Looking at the track list, I saw a few familiar tracks like the re-recorded versions of Spiderwood Farm and Rocking Horse, from the debut EP, and the first single Leaning On A Bear. This meant that I already was familiar with three out of the eleven tracks featured here. But how was the rest of the tracks and how well did the familiar material blend in with the rest of the album?

The opening track Wake Up Sleepy Head starts off with a dreamy intro which is then followed by the more familiar tones of electric guitar and organ on The Contract. The slightly expanded version of Spiderwood Farm is neither better nor worse than its predecessor off the debut EP while the playful tones of Sailor's Wife's Lament remind me of the Slapp Happy album Casablanca Moon. The first single, Leaning On A Bear, is another uptempo rock track featuring a hefty dose of organ while Tempest And The Tide is where the album introduces familiar tunes of Mellotron. I really hope that Purson could do more longer tracks since most of their better material is generally tracks that dare to go past the five minute mark.

Mavericks And Mystics and Well Spoiled Machine seem to pass by pretty swiftly, both featuring a few interesting passages here and there but overall don't bring me the same sense of enjoyment as some of the other tracks on The Circle & The Blue Door. Sapphire Ward is the album's heaviest moment that is dominated by some heavy electric guitar riffing action. Rocking Horse sounds pretty much the same as the version featured on their debut EP, which makes me wonder if the actually re-recorded the track? It's still a solid composition nonetheless. The final track Tragic Catastrophe is easily my favorite part of this album, featuring a strong organ-driven melody that leaves me wanting to hear more from Purson.

The Circle & The Blue Door is a strong debut album by a band that clearly knows what they're doing and it leaves me with a sense that Purson can do no wrong by pursuing their retro style psychedelic rock sound. If you're into beautiful organ-driven rock music then this band is definitely gonna be up your alley!

***** star songs: Spiderwood Farm (5:09) Tempest And The Tide (5:06) Tragic Catastrophe (5:21)

**** star songs: Wake Up Sleepy Head (2:06) The Contract (4:11) Sailor's Wife's Lament (3:59) Leaning On A Bear (3:27) Mavericks And Mystics (3:48) Well Spoiled Machine (5:09) Sapphire Ward (5:02) Rocking Horse (4:25)

Leaning On A Bear was the exciting first glimpse of the band's upcoming album The Circle & The Blue Door and it certainly managed to deliver in that regard!

After releasing their Rocking Horse EP in 2012 and playing a few gigs around the London city area, it was finally time for Purson to get into the studio and deliver their debut album. It didn't take long for the band to release their first teaser in the form of the first single Leaning On A Bear and once again, I was completely mesmerized by this promising young band! The title track is an uptempo rock track featuring a few twists and turns, while managing to once again show me a whole new side to the bands '70s rock sound. The second track, Let Bloom, sounded more in line with the Rocking Horse EP and it could have easily been squeezed in somewhere between Two And Ones and Wool.

This single definitely made me excited for what was yet to come on Purson's full-length release The Circle & The Blue Door by fusing the already familiar sounds from the Rocking Horse EP with some new ideas to the retro rock sound of the '70s.

**** star songs: Leaning On A Bear (3:27) Let Bloom (2:59)

My first encounter with Purson was somewhere around early 2013 when I started hearing Spiderwood Farm being played at a few rock clubs. The song really had a dreamy retro ring to it while still sounding surprisingly fresh and exciting for the modern audience. I didn't take long for me to discover the rest of the Rocking Horse EP, since it (at the time) was the only available release from the band.

The EP features four pretty versatile compositions which makes for an excellent introduction album for anyone who wants to discover Purson without going head first by starting with their debut album The Circle & the Blue Door. The title track, Rocking Horse, begins very gently but it doesn't take long for the composition to get in a more rock-oriented state of mind. Two And Ones is a slightly heavier composition dominated by the organ sound, something that would make bands like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath really proud of their legacy. Wool opens up like a suite until the heavy sound of the electric guitar takes over and dominates the rest of the composition.

Spiderwood Farm might be the shortest track on this EP but it certainly is its brightest spot! This is the moment when Purson finally steps out of the shadow of their predecessors and makes the psychedelic rock sound of the '70s their own. The composition might not be a complex one but I really find it impressive to hear the way this band moves between the different sections while maintaining the overall sound and melody of the composition in place. This is easily my favorite track of 2013!

I highly recommend this EP to fans of '70s music, especially fans of psychedelic rock. Hopefully you'll be equally impressed by this English quintet.

***** star songs: Spiderwood Farm (3:30)

**** star songs: Rocking Horse (4:25) Two And Ones (4:35) Wool (4:55)

Review by Matteo Bussotti

Have you ever heard of Baroque 'n' Roll? No? Then you don't know about Purson! This band from London really, really put out an excellent album. I don't know how else to define it. Of course, I'll say this from the beginning: for definition, Purson's sound is nothing new, so don't approach this album expecting to hear something that will make your head explode because you've never heard something like this before.

Instead, if you really love 60s and 70s psychedelic rock, you'll fall in love with this album immediately, I warn you. The thing I appreciated the most about "The Circle and the Blue Door" is that every song, every note, every nuance, every rhythm is crafted perfectly to recreate the sound from which Purson get their inspiration. It truly sounds like an album recorded in 1972 and discovered only today. You don't find much dedication in many bands these days, especially when they have to sound like a particular band, or genre.

Odd meters, crunchy but graceful guitars, psychedelic lyrics, crazy outfits, they're all there, you'll find all these things in Purson. And it's great. Talking briefly about the album, it is not a release which stands out for any particular reason, it's a normal-sounding rock album?"normal" among those released in the 70s. Listening to it now is a great experience, absolutely not as common as you'd think, bearing in mind that this was released this year, and not 40 years ago. It's a damn great rock album: as I said, you won't find anything new in here, but you'll enjoy every second listening to it. Special mention for "Leaning on a Bear" and "The Contract": go check their videos on Purson's youtube channel! They're great, really moody and psychedelic (even though I don't remember HD being an habit for 60s and 70s music videos).

If you're into this kind of music, "The Circle and The Blue Door" is an absolute must-listen for you. Or, simply, if you enjoy beautiful female voices?you have to listen to this album. It's interesting to see how more and more bands decide to pick back genres from the past, rather than going all to electronic music, dubstep, wub-wub and all those things. It's?a beacon of hope, almost. Good, I really love the past, so it's no surprise that I particularly loved Purson; I'm sure you'll love them too!

Rating - 87/100

(link review smarturl.it/PursonRev)