Pure X

Add Date: July 5 

Artist: Pure X 

Album: Pleasure 

Label: Acéphale 

Genre: Rock 

Comments: From the onesheet: "Patient, sparse and never any less than heartbreaking, the clutch of songs making up Pleasure has a sonic originality that many artists spend entire careers trying to cultivate. That's not to be mistaken--Pure X are a rock 'n' roll band in the tradition's truest sense. There are clear influences here: the snarl and nonchalant bombast of The Jesus and Mary Chain; the wistful, lonesome croon of Hank Williams [Sr.] and the pure, lovesick melodies of 1960s soul music can all be easily perceived within the group's work to date. Crucially, however, Pure X do not let their reverence for such precedents overwhelm them. So where other lo-fi fetishists currently garnering attention tend to produce a facsimile of their inspirations, [Nate] Grace, [Jesse] Jenkins and [Austin] Youngblood dissect, invert and damage them."

A wonderful, hazy, woozy and ultimately addictive record from this Austin trio, Pleasure is recommended if you like reverb-drenched vocals, guitar effects and noisy yet melodic pop. Start with "Easy", "Dream Over", "Stuck Livin" and "Voices".