Pure X Ticket Giveaway + Show Preview

PureXCrawlingUpTheStairsThere’s been tons of great records being pushed upon the Internet world lately, but one that I’m personally excited about it is the new effort from Pure X.  Crawling Up the Stairs is on my list of anticipated albums, and it’s great that an Austin band is making such big waves.  But, in other news, they’ll be playing their album release next Thursday, giving us Austinites a chance to hear the new tunes live at Holy Mountain on Thursday, May 23rd; they’ll be joined by Troller and Versus.  And, we’re going to give away a pair of tickets to the show, which you can win by simply leaving us a comment.  Let us know what your summer plans are, even if you have a real job and are just taking a weekend jaunt.  We’ll pick the most exciting summer plan, and there’s our winner.  Contest will end on Friday at Midnight.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Pure-X-05-Things-in-my-Head.mp3]

Download: Pure X – Things in my Head [MP3]

Mas Musica de Pure X

artworks-000040620860-sbur4m-t500x500Personally, I’m really excited about the upcoming effort from Pure X, Crawling Up the Stairs.  While I really enjoyed their last effort, I’m thinking they might be mixing things up a bit, expanding their sound.  If you listen to this new single, you’ll definitely have to agree, as the vocals alone indicate a larger focus on that aspect; I felt like it was used as an instrument the last go round.  Still, it’s got this drifting quality that enchants listeners, though that’s juxtaposed to the gruff quality on some of the vocal delivery, which might be off-putting (even grating), depending upon who you ask.  All in all, this new single indicates a band refining and expanding their sound; on May 14th we’ll all get a chance to hear the full collection of tunes.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Pure-X-Someone-Else.mp3]

Download: Pure X – Someone Else [MP3]

Damn You Pure X

artworks-000040620860-sbur4m-t500x500Pure X is one of those bands that just can’t ever seem to write something that is ignored by the Interwebs, and by ignored, I mean universally lauded.  Part of me wants to hate the Austin act, solely on that, but I just can’t do it.  The songs, like the newest single, are just too damn good.  This one has a stronger vocal appearance, and a generally more accessible approach; it’s softer in tone, with just a few of the atmospheric touches that were present on their last effort, Pleasure.  Their new effort, Crawling Up the Stairs (available May 14th), is just going to be flat out good. You won’t be able to ignore it; it’s going to be like fun. for people with good tastes.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Pure-X-05-Things-in-my-Head.mp3]

Download: Pure X – Things in my Head [MP3]

Show Preview: Pure X @ Red Seven (4/6)

Date Friday, April 6th
Location Red 7
Doors 900p
Tickets $8 from Transmission

If you’re not going out of town to be with family for Easter, then you’re in good shape, as there’s some great local music going on all weekend long in Austin.  The first set that caught my eye was Friday’s show over at Red 7 featuring Pure X.  Personally, I thought their album, Pleasure, from last year was one of the best things coming out of town.  And, the few times I’ve seen them, they’ve definitely impressed me with their ability to pull that stuff off live.  Opening acts for the evening will be Troller and God’s Gun.  So, if you’re looking for good tunes Friday, make your way over to Red 7 friends!

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/08-Dry-Ice.mp3]

Download: Pure X – Dry Ice [MP3]

Albums Of 2011

We’ve already brought you our songs of the year and Texas albums of the year, so now it’s time for the much anticipated albums of the year list.  I’m sure many of you will notice some big names off the list and you will be ready to plead your case about why we are wrong.  We’ll hear ya out… Feel free to drop us a comment with your own list or just to debate with us.  Follow the jump for list.
50) The New Tigers – s/t

49) Secret Cities – Strange Hearts

48) AM & Shawn Lee – Celestial Electric

47) Rural Alberta Advantage – Departing

46) Blue Skies for Black Hearts – Embracing the Modern Age

45) Geoffrey O’ Connor – Vanity is Forever

44) Dum Dum Girls – Only in Dreams

43) Destroyer – Kaputt

42) Obits – Moody, Standard and Poor

41) The Rosebuds – Loud Planes Fly Low

40) Tim Cohen – Magic Trick

39) Bad Sports – Kings of the Weekend

38) Chelsea Wolfe – Apokalypsis

37) Chad Van Gaalen – Diaper Island

36) Male Bonding – Nothing Hurts

35) Crystal Stilts – In Love With Oblivion

34) Cold Cave – Cherish the Light Years

33) Devon Williams – Euphoria

32) Okkervil River – I Am Very Far

31) Sonny and the Sunsets – Hit After Hit

30) Smith Westerns – Dye It Blonde

29) Wax Idols – No Future

28) Grooms – Prom

27) Cut Off Your Hands – Hollow

26) The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient

25) Ducktails – Ducktails III

24) Papercuts – Fading Parade

23) Atlas Sound – Parallax

22) Mind Spiders – s/t

21) Craft Spells – Idle Labor

20) Yuck – s/t

19) The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar

18) Comet Gain – Howl of the Lonely Crowd

17) The Drums – Portamento

16) Snowmine – Laminate Pet Animal

15) King Creosote and Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine

14) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong

13) Girls Names – Dead to Me

12) Light for Fire – s/t

11) Other Lives – Tamer Animals

10) Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

9) Iceage – New Brigade

8 The Antlers – Burst Apart

7) Seapony – Go With Me

6) Pure X – Pleasure

5) Cloud Nothings – s/t

4) Real Estate – Days

3) Gold Leaves – The Ornament

2) The Twerps – s/t

1) Wye Oak – Civilian

So that’s it ladies and gents, we are officially putting an end to 2011.  What do you like and what do you not like?  Let’s hear it.

Top 15 Texas Albums of 2011

Oh man, is 2011 over already?  It is indeed, which means End of Year list time!  Of course, that means it’s time for you to tell us where we went wrong, but on this list, we’re thinking we got it pretty right on.  You’ll notice we expanded our list to a Top 15 of Texas Artists, as we thought our state did a great job, musically (not politically) speaking this year.  I’ll admit, it might be a little Austin-centric, but we’re based in the town, so get the Austin word a lot faster.  Apologies to Houston and San Antonio, as your scenes weren’t represented, but it’s nothing personal.  Feel free to leave us a comment to yell at us or tell us we were right on.  But, that being said, remember this is just the OPINION of a few dudes keeping it real in Austin.

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Show Preview: Pure X @ the Scoot Inn (10/28)

Date Friday, October 28th
Location Scoot Inn
Doors 800p
Tickets $10 from Thundertix

I know that there’s tons of great shows in town this weekend, but one of the better local shows features some pretty prominent bands.  First off, you’ll get Pure X headlining the gig, and they’ve received a lot of great press nationally, not to mention from this writer in particular.  Also on the bill is popular up-and-comer, SleepOver, who’ve just released their latest record.  Then, you’ll get a bunch of other acts like Silent Diane, Survive and Children of the Grave, all of which comes your way via the most excellent folks over at Scoot Inn.  If you’re free Friday, there’s only one place to be.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/08-Dry-Ice.mp3]

Download: Pure X – Dry Ice [MP3]


Pure X – Pleasure

Rating: ★★★★★

At this point in time, it would be difficult for one to ignore Pure X (formerly Pure Ecstasy) based entirely on the amount of press that has seemed to surround the Austin trio over the last few months.  After listening to Pleasure over and over (and over and over) again, you’ll soon realize that the group is no joke, and they’ve crafted the slow-burning record of the year, if not just the straight up record of the year.

The instrumental “Heavy Air” begins the record with sort of the ominous feeling one would associate with bloated oxygen, weighed down in trickling bits of guitar reverb and harrowing sounds that fill every inch of space necessary.  It’s the perfect precursor to “Dream Over,” a track that begins with a little bit more light, as “oohs” gently float you through the intro.  Once the vocals come in, the echo effect of created by the band refraining from polish stains the track with every inch of passion Pure X possess, especially clear as vocals strain in the background to wrap up the song.

You’re going to be hard pressed to discover such a one-two punch as “Twisted Mirror” and “Easy.”  The former slowly builds with discordant guitar sounds carefully cutting through the space, all before we’re presented with even a hint of vocals.  Honestly, while the depth of the vocals on this track, and on Pleasure for that matter, elevate each song, the craftsmanship of the sound itself doesn’t even require singing at all.  With “Easy,” the appeal for the masses is immediately noticeable as drums mellowly pound the rhythm, vocals uplift you, and squalls of noise filter in and out of the song.  If you play it on repeat, you’re bound to get lost in the simple beauty expressed here.

Every song on Pleasure is a listenable gem, each with twists and turns of its own.  The seemingly instrumental “Surface” fills out a void in the record, with Pure X providing you a sense to further allow immersion into their dense sound; oddly, it’s not dense at all. The use of sound and structure fills every inch of recording space, creating the juxtaposition of hollow, yet dense; it’s a sensation you must have for yourself. There’s short tracks like “Stuck Livin” that seem like heartfelt laments about life, yet much like San Francisco’s Girls, there’s a bright light glowing beneath the stark reality of our world. Even the single “Dry Ice” is worthy of every inch of praise its received.  It’s quiet at times, yet the group’s approach swallows you whole, forcing you into some sort of melodramatic trance from which you never want to escape.

People will always be skeptical of bands with great hype, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any second of this record, though the band would probably disagree.  Pleasure is, to me, reminiscent of Spiritualized, utilizing the band’s creativity within the studio to extract every bit of sound possible, yet not filling it with indulgences.  Like Jason S., Pure X has crafted a delicate listen, one that whole-heartedly enthralls you track after track.  If there’s such a thing as modern classics, this one might well be on its way.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/08-Dry-Ice.mp3]

Download: Pure X – Dry Ice [MP3]

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