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Now playing: Device - Fall Apart, Golden Heart
via FoxyTunes
Anyone who knows my love for Porcupine Tree, knows that I describe their current music as the "love child" of Pink Floyd and Tool. That pretty much sums up the albums "In Absentia", "Deadwing" and "Fear of a Blank Planet". I guess I could sum up the early Porcupine Tree catalog (the stuff featuring the ORIGINAL quartet: Steven Wilson, Steven Wilson, Steven Wilson and the other guy, Steven Wilson) as the love child of Pink Floyd with ummm... himself? Sounds gross. Anyhow, the first Porcupine Tree would definitely have a Syd Barrett feel to it, whereas the following 'solo' albums would be more along the lines of Gilmour/Waters FLOYD music.
But am I here to talk about Pink Floyd? NO. I'm here to talk about their relatively new grandchild! I had to set up this commentary by mentioning that Porcupine Tree was the love child of Pink Floyd and Tool. Well, in the case of PURE REASON REVOLUTION, Porcupine Tree got together with 80's Pop/Rock band, DEVICE. Don't remember Device? They had a couple of minor hits in the late 80's, including "Hanging On a Heart Attack". Device was the project of Holly Knight, who in my opinion is one of the greatest Pop songwriters of the last century. I am going to add in the Last.fm history of Device... just for fun.
Device was the brainchild of 80’s songwriter wunderkind Holly Knight. Knight was a prolific songwriter in the 80’s, penning hits for Pat Benatar (“Love Is A Battlefield”, “Invincible”), Animotion (“Obsession”, “I Engineer”), Tina Turner (“Better Be Good To Me”, “The Best”), Aerosmith (“Rag Doll”) and Scandal (“The Warrior”.) Ironically enough, Paul Engemann- the lead singer for Device, went on to be one of the lead vocalists for Animotion. (He sang co-lead with Cynthia Rhodes on their “Room To Move” hit.)
So, Holly Knight probably had her biggest hits when performed by other artists, but let me tell you, their album 22B3 is one of the most solid Pop albums of the 80's. Take THAT Michael Jackson.
Anyhow, am I talking about Device? Well, yeah... kind of... but let's get on to Pure Reason Revolution.
My brother Ray discovered this band, after signing up with Last.fm. On that website, you can enter in a band, and Last.fm will cycle through similar artists. Pure Reason Revolution (PRR) was listed as a similar to Porcupine Tree. Wow... go figure. Considering Porcupine Tree was PRR's father, right? Now, do yourself a favor and explore the sounds of PRR. Go to Last.fm and give them a listen. I have their full length album, titled, "THE DARK THIRD". The first song will definitely prove to you how Pink Floyd is the proud granddaddy of this band. The thing that sets PRR apart from their peers, is that they have a CHICK IN THE BAND! Now, ladies, before you get all uptight about the "chick" reference, I don't mean it in a sexist way. It is with this talented female in the band, that I derived the comparison to Device. Although Device features a male vocalist, and Holly Knight humbly keeps behind the scenes with her fantastic melodies, keyboards, backing vocals and BIG hair, she isn't afraid to add a tasty harmony, and the occasional lead vocal. As is the case with PRR.
Anyhow, check them out. Here is the Last.fm link:
http://www.last.fm/music/Pure+Reason+Revolution
I feel confident that you fans of Progressive Rock, especially the Neo-Prog movement of the past few years, will enjoy this band. Enjoy them, and if you are looking at them on Last.fm, listen to the similar artists. You may discover "Riverside", a Polish Prog band. And a great one, at that.
Oh, and one last thing... you LAST.FM people. Look me up. Come say "hi". Zeke the Freak is the name. Lovin' music is my game. Don't forget it.
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