Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Pure Reason Revolution
Label: Superball Music
Released: 2009
Runtime: 44:22
Rating: 1.5/5
Modern British art rockers Pure Reason Revolution first made a name for themselves with the excellent debut “The Dark Third”, one of the best releases of 2006, which wowed us with its unique blend of space rock, psychedelia and alternative rock. What you could really admire on that album were the mighty male-female vocal harmonies, the majestic ambient soundscapes and the all-round unpredictability of the individual arrangements. On top of that, the young band could proudly say they’d balanced raw energy and subtlety in equal measure, which made it easy to walk away from the album itching to hit play again and again. The only flaws I pointed out in my otherwise very favorable review were the repetitiveness of certain motifs and rhythms, and the lack of variety in the keyboards.
With the best of wishes for their artistic development, I hoped they’d fix those two flaws down the road, but “Amor Vincit Omnia” proves my hopes were in vain. This time Pure Reason Revolution have dropped the ball across the board. Instead of cutting back on repetitive sonic patterns and expanding their refined harmonies, they’ve morphed into a pretty narrow electro pop rock band. Apart from the recognizable vocal harmonies between the female and male singer, you often get the feeling you’re listening to a completely different band. The old sonic refinement and organic feel have been swapped out for generic, repetitive electronic patterns and a hefty dose of drum machine. Personally, I’ve got nothing against quality electro pop, but I don’t get why they chose to toss out sophistication and complexity just to end up looking like legions of other electro pop bands. My guess is that the urge for maximum profit and name recognition won out over whatever artistic potential they had.
A dramatic change of direction wouldn’t be a problem in itself if the execution lived up to their usual instrumental chops. Instead, the band sounds uninspired and bored throughout the album, and in places even downright lazy. The song structures are no better: thanks to the sterile production and repetitive electronic rhythm patterns, the tracks sound as alike as two peas in a pod. This kind of robotic, straight-line rhythm gives plenty of reason to yawn for everyone who got into the band because of the positive role the debut played in progressive rock and experimental music. Even their trademark vocal harmonies don’t sound convincing and can’t improve the sorry state of things. If anything, they just remind you how in less than three years the band slid down to the level of a totally average electro pop act and completely abandoned their adventurous spirit. There isn’t a single track on the album that sticks in your memory for more than a few seconds.
“Amor Vincit Omnia” is Latin for “love conquers all.” Sadly, Pure Reason Revolution won’t be conquering anything with this album. It’s far more likely they’ll lose a noticeable chunk of disappointed fans. I honestly hope this album is just a temporary slip-up and that on the next one they’ll pick themselves up and get back to the high standards of their debut, because they still have the incredible potential to one day break into the elite of modern progressive and experimental rock. The album isn’t bad if you’re into straight-ahead electronic pop with quality vocal harmonies, but compared to what they showed on the debut, it’s a big artistic step down and one of the bigger disappointments of the year.
Lineup
Jon Courtney – vocals, guitar, synthesizer
Chloe Alper – vocals, bass guitar, synthesizer, tambourine, guitar
Jamie Willcox – guitar, vocals
Paul Glover – drums
Production
Pure Reason Revolution
Tracklist
1. Les Malheurs (5:02)
2. Victorious Cupid (3:39)
3. i) Keep Me Sane/Insane (0:55)
4. ii) Apogee iii) Requiem For The Lovers (5:22)
5. Deus Ex Machina (5:40)
6. Bloodless (4:55)
7. Disconnect (5:54)
8. The Gloaming (9:10)
9. AVO (4:47)
