Up ‘til now, Austin, TX’s Pure X has largely been associated with noise pop, but on the band’s second LP they stretch the previous boundaries of their sound with very positive results. In previously summarizing them, a person might’ve very likely said: “you’ll love them if you’re into that sorta thing.” With this new record, it’s become more difficult to tidily encapsulate exactly what Pure X’s thing actually is. The growth is substantial but cohesive, and Crawling Up The Stairs is a very good, and very good-looking, LP.
Pure X have are often described as a noise pop band, and that descriptor seems as good a term as any to hit upon what they do. But as can happen when categorizing a group under the noise rock banner or even pegging an act as simply playing abstract noise, aligning this trio with the designation of noise pop is useful in clarifying function, but it doesn’t really pin-point what they sound like.
Regarding function, noise pop as a specification generally means that the music is as concerned with fairly accessible song-structures as it is with additives such as guitar distortion, drones, or other non-melodious (i.e. non-pop) elements, and this is certainly appropriate to how Pure X operate. However, the band that’s often cited as the catalyst for the form is The Velvet Underground, and frankly, what Pure X has been laying down isn’t remindful of that groundbreaking unit at all.
The Jesus & Mary Chain are frequently credited as the first full-fledged noise pop band. And bringing up that Scottish unit gets us a little closer to the meat of Pure X’s matter, mainly due to what feels like a mutual interest in ‘60s-derived song craft. The abundance of J & MC references that have piled up on the group’s doorstep do seem a bit overstated to these ears, though.
I can’t help thinking the biggest link between the two isn’t sonic but instead stems from a shared chutzpah; in a manner similar to the Reid Brothers, Pure X’s stuff can easily register as coming from three guys with the unflappable nerve to wear their sunglasses indoors. Late at night, even. But like J & MC, it’s far from a case of style over substance.
Also, Pure X can perhaps be linked to the lo-fi movement. This connection is mainly down to a deliberately organic approach to recording that draws them away from the lush or the slick. Much was made of the group’s full-length 2011 debut Pleasure being recorded with no overdubs, though to be fair, in contrast to some lo-fi product, that record never really felt like the result of an audio fetish or stood as a declaration of sonic principles.
More substantively, the clouds of string-junk that Pure X specializes in mustering up can be corralled into the same pen as shoegaze, which shouldn’t be surprising since that genre is but a splinter from the concept of noise pop overall. But there’s also a difference in impact. For underneath the outer appearance of a lot of unflashy cats who made a habit of staring down at the laces of their canvas high-tops, a deep current of grandiose vision could be found. By contrast, Pure X’s sensibility is significantly more understated. They seem to prefer their big statements to consist of accumulated little gems.
And their beginnings were rather modest, starting as essentially a local band. Yes, their home turf just happens to be the self-proclaimed Live Music Capitol of the World, but this circumstance only serves to accentuate the group’s casual relationship to professional striving. Originally named Pure Ecstasy, they knocked out a bunch of mostly 7-inch releases both self released and through the Austin label Light Lodge starting in ’09 and across the following year.
Shortly before a name change necessitated by a San Francisco cover band having already copyrighted the handle, Pure Ecstasy hooked up with the Acéphale imprint and issued a 45, “Voices” b/w “Alexandria.” It provides a good capsule of the trio’s mode of operation, though the a-side does find them at their most lively. With that said, it ain’t exactly upbeat.
However, the band soon to be known as Pure X aren’t sluggish or offhanded in execution. “Voices” is built upon pop inclinations sturdy enough that they soon border on catchy, and the flip also conjures a strong melodic line, building and repeating it while the vocals alternate between the downtrodden and the blissful as steamy clouds of guitar effects hover around it all.
If both their original and adjusted monikers seem to indicate an interest in a certain designer drug, that association isn’t really apropos. The music of guitarist/vocalist Nate Grace, drummer Austin Youngblood, and bassist and now co-vocalist Jesse Jenkins is far too, well, soporific for that designation. Case in point is their 4-song 2011 12-inch “You’re in it Now,” which connects as readymade accompaniment for a lazy afternoon half-slumbering on the sofa, especially opener “Don’t Wanna Live, Don’t Wanna Die.”
On that record, Pure X reaps the rewards of not being in any kind of hurry to get anywhere. The closing title track is the most assertive, but at times they almost come off like the early days of Duluth, Minnesota’s Low crossed with a ‘60s guitar-pop streak as heard through a battered old transistor radio. And that record led to Pleasure, which effectively served as their big breakout.
Indeed, that was the disc that brought the comparisons to noise pop of Jesus & Mary Chain, the shoegaze of My Bloody Valentine, and even the space rock of Spiritualized, with the ballyhoo of their supposed analog purity along for the ride (though the band sensibly downplayed this aspect in interviews). In a sense this was to be expected; Pleasure finds the playing of Pure X matching, and in some cases exceeding, their solid songwriting acumen and Grace’s languorous, heavy-lidded vocal expressiveness.
Obviously, the instrument with the largest impact was the guitar, but the rhythm section’s contributions were also noteworthy. On the extremely appealing cut “Easy” they manage to summon some of the beautiful simplicity of Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang, they of Galaxie 500. The comparison really stops there however, with more of the band’s ‘60s-style pop-sense swaddled in thoughtfully applied string fuzz.
Overall, Pleasure remains a very nice if not mind-blowing disc. To be blunt, they excelled at extending certain fairly recent musical developments (please see above if a recap is needed), and folks with a predilection for those styles were fairly certain to be gassed. Other more indifferent ears were just as likely to be left feeling chilly or downright cold.
A whole lot can happen in a couple years’ time. For Pure X, it meant that Grace suffered a serious leg injury that was only compounded by the lack of medical insurance needed to help pay for the required surgery. The other band members shouldered their own struggles, Jenkins breaking up with his longtime partner and Youngblood moving to California to live with his own mate.
Crawling Up The Stairs, their sophomore effort, is certainly informed by those difficulties, but instead of simply serving to intensify their established sound, it effectively broadens it, and the record is an admirable step forward from their already impressive full-length debut.
The record opens with the title cut, and it places them in familiar territory. But there are also immediate adjustments. The song reveals a notably cleaner recording strategy than that of Pleasure, with the no-overdub policy of the previous record having been sent out the window. And there’s no real sense of loss in this decision, since Pure X ultimately benefit more from strength in songwriting than in heading down well-trodden roads of mood and ambiance.
But perhaps the most impressive element in Crawling Up The Stairs comes through Jenkins’ falsetto vocals. They lend a touch of unaffected soulfulness that reoccurs across the album, taking the band to a newfound plateau. This is followed by “Somewhere Else,” which finds Grace’s voice locating the sharp intensity of East River Pipe’s F.M. Cornog before engaging in a brief little falsetto turn himself. From there he even briefly tackles some Bright Eyes-esque raw emotionalism, and if a dangerous gesture, the song never feels convoluted.
To the contrary, it’s more structurally advanced than anything found on Pleasure. And the production may be more pro, but it matches their ambition for the record, which the band claim was informed by the sound of Country music. And while you wouldn’t necessarily realize it from the vocoder and pop-prog keyboard drift of “Written in the Slime,” Crawling Up The Stairs was produced by noted commercial country figure Larry Sayer.
That falsetto-soul element is delivered in bushels on “I Fear What I Feel,” the song one remix away from being transformed into a dance track. While highly divergent from Pure X’s prior motions, in the end the tune doesn’t feel disconnected from their personality. And “Things in My Head” emphasizes their seemingly newfound dedication to acoustic guitar ambiance.
“Shadows and Lies” and “I Come from Nowhere” will surely satisfy those looking for the thrust of Pure X’s earlier material, but the emotional edginess that’s related through Grace’s looped and distorted vocals on the former are still quite distinct. That previous sunglasses-indoors aura has been deeply altered, and in place of aloofness comes a soul-bearing openness that’s well balanced by the record’s emphasis on musicality.
There’s a ‘70s pop-radio feel to “Never Alone” that thankfully never falters into unwitting pastiche, mainly because it’s so bent out of shape. Not everything works equally well on Crawling Up The Stairs, but Pure X’s desire to shake up the program does feel natural, with a current of sincere experimentation being easily detectable. And yet familiar; “How Did You Find Me” could be an unabashed ‘60s pop-nugget if it was tightened up and delivered in a less strung-out manner. But if so, it wouldn’t be half as interesting.
Maybe the record strongest cut is “Thousand Year Old Child,” which combines the established Pure X template with Jenkins’ smooth vocalizing and the crisp production values to fine effect. From there the LP’s final two songs bring Crawling Up The Stairs to a mild, yet not anticlimactic conclusion.
On the whole it’s a very good album that flirts at times with the exceptional, one that reinforces the old maxim of strength through adversity. And if Pure X was once defined by genre constraints, with this release they’ve done a fine job of breaking free of that burden.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
