Desire's Magic Theatre [Deluxe Edition]

by Purson

Overview

The much anticipated sophomore studio long-player from the colorful English psych-rock/proto-metal outfit led by ex-Ipso Facto frontwoman Rosalie Cunningham, Desire's Magic Theatre doubles down on the retro-pageantry of Purson's 2013 debut. A heady amalgam of Deep Purple, T. Rex, Ten Years After, Dresden Dolls, and Dreamboat Annie-era Heart, the 13-track set commences with the meaty title cut, a proggy six-minute blast of skunky smoke drifting from the just-cracked window of a custom boogie van. That Sgt. Pepper-induced haze extends through to the more streamlined and economical, but no less muscular, "Electric Landlady" and its swampy, voodoo-blasted counterpart, "Dead Dodo Down." Cunningham is an alluring figure with a commanding vocal style that's both soulful and sordid, a clarion call to both the high court and the gutter. While Desire's Magic Theatre is hers alone to command, Cunningham's co-conspirators prove themselves to be worthy of her dark gifts, as they cast an aural net of kaleidoscopic doom/wonder that manages to touch on nearly every facet of the psych-rock playbook. The windswept "The Sky Parade" skillfully weaves the overwrought melancholy of Comus-era English folk with the explosive space rock of Bowie's "Moonage Daydream," while the frivolous "The Window Cleaner" ditches the gloom and doom and goes full-on knicker-knocking Swinging London. Even at its most far-reaching and absurd, Desire's Magic Theatre is marvelous fun, and it's a testament to the talents of all involved that it never dissolves into self-parody. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	04/29/2016
Label:	Spinefarm Records
UPC:	0602547714367
Rank:	85363

Tracks

1. Desire's Magic Theatre
2. Electric Landlady
3. Dead Dodo Down
4. Pedigree Chums
5. The Sky Parade
6. The Window Cleaner
7. The Way It Is
8. Mr. Howard
9. I Know
10. The Bitter Suite
11. Unsure Overture [Bonus Track]
12. I Know [Acoustic] [Bonus Track]
13. The Sky Parade [Bonus Track]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Purson   Primary Artist
Justin Smith   Guitar (Bass)
Jon Seagroatt   Flute,Saxophone
Anna Scott   Cello
Raphael Mura   Drums
Rosalie Cunningham   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
George Hudson   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Electric)
Kat Harcup   Cello

Technical Credits

Mark Bishop   Engineer
Tim Debney   Mastering
Rosalie Cunningham   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Producer,Cover Design,Instrumentation
George Hudson   Composer
Josh Weeden   Engineer
Ed Deegan   Engineer
Ed Turner   Mixing
Sam Robinson   Cover Design