Thursday, December 29, 2011

Pure Reason Revolution's Electronica Is Anti-Gaga (Sept. 2010)

Under The Radar
Pure Reason Revolution

Originally published for the Bismarck State College Mystician back in September, 2010.


Genre: Experimental/Progressive/Electronica

Pop music has always stirred negative feelings with some. Many have described the genre as shallow, uninventive and unintelligent. Recently, pop music has begun a transformation, albeit in a rather formulaic and trendy way. Many artists such as Rhianna and Keisha have jumped on a bandwagon started by Lady Gaga, experimenting with sounds similar to 90s Europop and Electronica.
Electronica has become something of a buzzword, used to describe a variety of styles, including the generic (but danceable) House, Techno and Industrial genres usually associated with raves. It also has been used to describe Experimental/Ambient and Trance acts such as Tangerine Dream and Enigma. But lately, the synth-oriented melodies and digitalized, bass-heavy drum-beats associated with the term have slowly crept its way into much of the instrumentation used in pop music. On the other end of the musical spectrum, the unknown Progressive Rock group Pure Reason Revolution  has emerged utilizing the same Electronica experimentation that has made these pop acts so popular.
Pure Reason Revolution is a relatively obscure British group, whose origins date back to 1997. Originally known as The Sunset Sound, the band encountered a number of line-up and name changes until they solidified somewhere between 2000 and 2003. The group started out as Progressive/Space Rock with strong Pink Floyd influences. The name of the band's first single, "Bright Ambassadors of Morning," is a line off the Pink Floyd song "Echoes."
After releasing their first full-length album, The Dark Third, the group went on tour with British and Israeli group Blackfield (a side project of Aviv Geffen and Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson), which caused the group to gain attention in the UK. After their first major tour, they returned to the studio to record their second album and decided to make a major musical departure just as their career began to blossom.
What resulted was Amor Vincit Omnia. Lyrically and structurally, the sound was still very progressive and complex, but the overall sound had vastly changed. The subtle use of synthesizers and mellotrons – which created their signature space rock sound – was traded in for more elaborate synth-lines and bass-heavy rhythms. Their sound became less comparable to Pink Floyd and more so to Daft Punk.
Despite its shocking change in sound, the band garnered much acclaim. Though blasted by prog purists, many critics saw the sound as highly original, charming and slightly ironic given the current trend among pop artists. Unlike the pop scene which has showed similar influences, Amor Vincit Omnia showed a great deal of depth in its lyrics and overall concept.
The album name is believed to be a reference to the Caravaggio panting of the same name. Although the band has never officially confirmed whether or not the album was conceptual, the lyrics and overall structure shows a strong, cohesive conceptual base. Several of the songs bleed into each other and contain recurring melodies and lyrical passages and share a theme reinforced by the album, which is Latin for "love Conquers All."
Though their style tends to be very polarizing, pure Reason revolution's sound needs to be experienced by the musical community. Although the group hasn't attracted as much popularity as it should, the band continues to create music and expand its fan base. The group has been working on their next album "Hammer and Anvil" which is set to release Oct. 18 this year.

Notable Albums:
The Dark Third (2006)
Amor Vincit Omnia (2009)


Notable Tracks:
"The Gloaming"
"Deus Ex Machina"
"Les Malheurs"
"Goshen's Remains"
"The Bright Ambassadors of Morning"

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