Shrines – Caught in the Crossfire

Purity Ring x Danny Brown
‘Belispeak II’

This shouldn’t work but it does. Two artists who are almost the polar opposite of each other in terms of style but who are receiving a similar level of hype and appreciation in the blogosphere have re-imagined an existing track with spine-tingling results. Purity Ring’s ‘Belispeak‘ is a bonafide beauty of a track and here it gets remixed slightly and is graced with some Danny Brown rhymes. The rapper’s inimitable style stands out like a sore thumb on the understated electronic softness of the track but somehow the additional pulsating glitches added to this version meld with Brown’s groove creating an utterly addictive take on ‘Belispeak’.

What we wouldn’t give to see these guys tour together… Or maybe create an entire collaborative album. Just re-work the whole of ‘Shrines’. Why not!

Words: Sarah Maynard

PURITY RING
Shrines
(4AD)
www.purityringsongs.com

A surprising entry straight into this writer’s Top 5 albums of the year so far, upon first listen, Purity Ring may seem like one of those average electronic-based, female-fronted, indie-leaning acts that seem to be popping up all over the place. However, their debut album is one that will make you fall hook, line and sinker for them after just a couple of listens. The ethereal vocals and unpredictable accompanying synth-led sounds are pieced together in such a way that the catchiest of hooks seem totally unobvious and organic yet will be stuck in your head for days.

Save for one track which we think interrupts the pure brilliance of the rest of the record with its disappointing musical arrangement (‘Cartographist’ – why are you not at the end of the record?!) each and every song on this album is a work of glitchy, catchy brilliance, underpinned with a throbbing urgency and littered with slightly disturbing lyrics, erring on the nonsensical. Crawlersout, Belispeak and Obedear mark just a few of the moments of excellence and work well as markers of sheer songcraft as they’re placed strategically throughout the record. Purity Ring are every bit as intriguing and accomplished as the first tracks they’ve released have led everyone to believe. One act that surely live up to the underground hype and should certainly burst out of their ‘scene’ in impressive style.

Sarah Maynard