Pure
Feverish (Mammoth)
by Jamie Kiffel
Ironically, Pure‘s strongest point is its creative use of distortion. Windy guitars curl up suddenly like sensitive ferns; the birds chirping maniacally outside your window prove to actually be coming from your left speaker, and synthesized gurgles bubble up from the otherwise flat and nebulous surface of “Pay Your Way.” “March of the Loonies” features what could be a high school marching band’s performance after being trained on Twinkies and several hundred viewings of Welcome Back, Kotter. “Sunshine and Happy Hour” reeks of Spring breaks spent picking at sunburns while chasing beers (themselves in hot pursuit of $1 tequila shots) with carrots, celery, and bleu cheese dressing.