Do you like Gypsy’s? Do like The Jefferson Airplane? Or Do you like the late-great The Mars Volta? Then you better get down with The Circle and The Blue Door the debut album from Purson a new English band fronted by the totally psychedelic front-woman Rosalie Cunningham.
Purson are the definition of throwback and retro. When I first heard the bands second single “Spiderwood Farm” I had to do a double take and make sure that I hadn’t time traveled back to the 60’s. I was so taken back by their heavy psychedelic rock sound that I almost ran out to the corner and hit up the closest drug dealer for six hits of LSD.
The other ten tracks contained on The Circle and The Blue Door follow in the singles footsteps. The entire album is laced with driving songs similar to “Spiderwood Farm” such as the swirling “Leaning on a Bear” and more whimsical floating tracks such as the medieval lullaby vibe of “Tempest and the Tide”. The band does a good job mixing up the tempo throughout the album and the addition of flutes and other effects add to the trippy vibe that Purson strive to achieve. The highlight of the album however is Cunningham’s vocals, which always are front and center in the mix. She seems to almost have an operatic theatrical aspect to her voice which can be best heard on the blues rock jam “Well Oiled Machine”.
One of the most unique aspects about Purson and The Circle and The Blue Door is that there are so many different elements added and the variation of the songs is so distinct that the album is able to hold your attention throughout all 48 minutes.
In a world where most new bands seem to blend in or just show up with a new flavor of vanilla. Purson break the mold with something new, different, and original. Their hybrid sound of old-school and new-school psychedelically is something worth noticing and if after you listen to The Circle and The Blue Door you find yourself running down the street naked, high on acid, with a band of flowers around your head. Don’t blame me, blame the band.