Album cover for Another Eternity.
I don’t care who you are. I don’t care if you think you’re the hardest, toughest guy in town, or if you think you’re the softest, most delicate little emo flower that there ever was. Purity Ring is coming to the Canopy on Monday, and you should be there, man.
Purity Ring is an electro-pop duo out of Edmonton, Canada, comprised of vocalist Megan James, and DJ/instrumentalist/toothist Corin Roddick. I say “Toothist,” because Roddick is known to “play” a set of eight toothish-looking lights. I don’t know if there are actual triggers on these things, but he hits them with little drum sticks, and when he does, they light up, and tones are emitted. For all I know, he is Milli-Vanilli’ing the hell out of those things, but it’s an interesting exhibition. More importantly though, his tracks are great. There is a House vibe in his beats, and the hint of an overly dramatic, almost gothic aesthetic, but it is moving, and completely accessible.
Of course, what is likely to grab you first is Megan James’s voice. Speaking strictly of timbres and ignoring the substance of her excellent, unique lyrics, she just sounds like someone soberly and somberly reflecting on her own lost innocence, and this plays perfectly over Roddick’s melodramatic beats.
So where do you begin if you don’t already know why Purity Ring coming to Canopy on October 31st is a big deal, and that you’d be a fool to miss it? Let’s try to get you hooked on Purity Ring in three steps.
Step Number 1:
If you’re me, you’d start with “Bodyache,” off of their 2015 release Another Eternity. Don’t watch the official video. The video kind of sucks. Watch this Conan performance, linked above. This track is so good. It begins with the delicate twinkle of a plucked harp. Thick, muscular bass and the tight pop of a Trap snare overlay the delicate background. James’s silky, unobtrusive vocals enter. She sounds so confident that you can’t ignore her, but she sounds fragile, too. To me, everything – from the sounds, to the silky timbre of her voice, to the lyrics, expressing a sort of exhausted sadness – it all seemed to be completely familiar and relatable. It reminded me of being twenty years old, and utterly, hopelessly heartbroken, but old enough to know you’d be ok.
Step Number 2:
Then you should check out “Begin Again,” also off of Another Eternity. This video happens to be excellent, and weird. Do I “Get it?” Nope, sure don’t! Is it pretty cool? Yep! Despite the optimistic title and lyrics, there is a real ominous feel to this track. James sings, “I’ve been watching your kindness keep a lonely company, Look at the fire and think of me. I’ve been watching you creep around my wandering feet, trying for years to flee.” “Begin Again” doesn’t seem to be about “starting anew,” really. It seems to me to be about a painful cycle – two objects locked in orbit, despite perhaps wanting to escape one another.
Step Number 3:
Then you’ll want to roll back to “Fineshrine,” off of their 2012 album Shrines. “Fineshrine” again is this incredible balance between the positive and negative. It sounds hopeful and innocent, but what you mistake for hope may be a species of resigned despair. “Get a little closer, let fold, cut open my sternum and pull my little ribs around you, the rungs of me be under you,” James sings. Every line is chock full of metaphor. She conjures images of sacrifice, consumption, vulnerability, and being used, in just a few short phrases.
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Purity Ring really is just so good. I can only ASSUME that you are hooked by now, so absolutely do yourself a favor and catch this outstanding duo live at the Canopy Club this coming Monday, October 31st, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $25. Meanwhile, let me hear your thoughts on: 1) whether the tooth-lights are triggered “instruments,” or just lights, and 2) what the hell is happening in the “Begin Again” video. Feel free to leave a comment below.
Article thumbnail photo taken by, and copyright of Levi Manchak, reprinted in its original form, and used pursuant to limited Creative Commons License, located here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode