“…It’s a colorful collage of vintage sounds,
recalling innovators like Syd Barrett and the more sprawling sonic textures of
the 13th Floor Elevators, but in a modern atmosphere…”
”Pristine
is a Norwegian, Psychedelic, Blues Rock band. Heidi Solheim is the captivating
front woman, with her memorable long red hair and striking eyes. This band
offers a significant sound, incorporating Soul, Funk, Blues and Rock. Their
debut album, Detoxing, is full of passionate, Fusion songs.
The first,
named “Damned If I Do” has heavy Jazz and Blues elements, including a catchy
chorus. The atmospheric start includes a scratching dark organ sound, a basic
hi hat beat and gradual building vocals, which results in a heavy climax, a
climbing guitar solo, and an emotional vocal conclusion. However this comes to
an abrupt stop halfway through; (musical stops like this can be extremely
effective, as they are unexpected). While “Damned If I Do” and “You Don’t Know”
are brilliant songs, the sudden stops are in danger of ruining the flow of the
rhythm.
One of the
stand out tracks is “Breaking Bad” as this song identifies the beauty of
simplicity, and the wonder of Blues Rock at its best. The band sounds tight and
powerful, providing catchy Blues riffs with strong female vocals. “Damage Is
Done” is mainly a funk track that again highlights the talents of Heidi’s
voice, as she elegantly switches from passionate Classic Blues Rock to
emotional, soulful vocals. “The Last Day” is a soulful ballad, showing the versatility
of Heidi’s enchanting voice; this slow paced reflective song really outlines
the ease of her vocal delivery and her poetic, yet catchy lyrics. The albums
self-titled song, “Detoxing,” shows the psychedelic features of this band,
incorporating their influences of both Hendrix and Zeppelin.
This album
is one to reach for on those lazy days, where you require passionate vocals,
with uplifting Blues guitar riffs, interesting musical arrangements and varying
Fusion genre songs to ease you into the day.”
”Les
Triaboliques are Ben Mandelson, Lu Edmonds, and Justin Adams—guitar players who
began their popular music careers during the British punk era playing with
bands like Magazine and The Dammed, or in the case of Adams, as sideman for
people like Sinead O'Connor. They are the first to admit that American music of
the twentieth century was the first and major influence on their music, but
unlike others their musical voyage didn't stop there.
Perhaps it's only
fitting that Justin Adams has become well known for his work with the Tuareg
nomad band Tinariwen just as he, Edmonds, and Mandelson have been musical and
literal nomads. Wandering the world from Siberia to North Africa and stops in
between, each of them has absorbed a variety of influences that has broadened
their musical horizons far beyond what we normally find in popular music. It
seems only natural these three wanderers would eventually end up together when
the winds blew them back home to Great Britain—where they all originally hail
from—pooling their talents and experiences to make this recording.
The eleven tracks on
the disc not only represent their multiple influences, but also the huge
variety of instruments that each of them have taken up. Brilliantly, what
they've decided to do is not wed an instrument to its country of origin—i.e.
have an oud solely play Turkish music—but have used them where they fit best
and feel most appropriate irrespective of an individual piece of music's
background. Naturally, some of the results might sound a little startling to
your ears, especially until you get used to the sounds of the various
instruments, but if you can put aside any preconceived notions on how a song is
supposed to sound you're in for some delightful surprises..”
