When a band describes themselves as making “Vaudeville Carny Psych”, there’s a good chance you’re in for something out of the ordinary. In a world of musical labels some bands are trickier than others to define clearly. Question is: in spite of a tricky to categorise sound, is The Circle And The Blue Door any good?
Yes it is. You see, I like Purson; in fact, I like them very much indeed. Listening to this album is rather like being transported back to 1970. There’s psych, folk, doom and even some sea shanty here; it’s the kind of musical exploration that would have been quite at home towards the end of the ‘60s and into the ‘70s. And as such it feels timeless, the kind of music that has been with us for years. If your favourite music website told you that this was a re-release of a little known but influential ‘70s prog outfit, you’d almost certainly believe them.
But it’s very much a new album from a young band literally bursting with creativity. Their sound has some early period Black Sabbath in it, Uriah Heep, maybe some Deep Purple; then imagine the whole thing is being fronted by Siouxsie Sioux. I defy anyone not to like this band.
While everything is underpinned by a psych/folk vibe, there’s much more than that to The Circle And The Blue Door. ‘Spiderwood Farm’ is built on a chunky, doomy riff with plenty of guitar and heavy keyboards; ‘Leaning On A Bear’ has an exciting, engaging arrangement, the interplay of vocals and keyboards carried by the insistent tempo of the song. The intro to ‘Sailor’s Wife’s Lament’ suggests it might be a sea shanty before being transformed into a waltz with echoes of a fairground pipe organ. ‘Well Spoiled Machine’ has a good, proggy time signature while remaining suitably heavy throughout.
With a recent touring slot supporting Astra, there can be no doubt that Purson have a bright future ahead of them; and The Circle And The Blue Door takes them several steps closer.
8/10
Ian Girlie