Puro Instinct -- Headbangers in Ecstasy

So another day, another trip to Amoeba Records.  Only this one was special because I was lucky enough to be accompanied by the London faction of AWT.  Either way, it was a quick jaunt in to through the new releases section, where my decisions tend to be bold, fast, and heavily influenced by cover art and the written descriptions that Amoeba supplies on most of their new release selections.

What caught my eye and peaked my interest via description was the new (and only) release by a girl duo called Puro Instinct.   The sisterly duo consists of Piper and Skylar Kaplan, aged 16 and 23....the older sister is loosely affiliated with freak pop scene inhabited by Ariel Pink and that ilk.  The description underneath the album promised Stevie Nicks inspired dream pop, and the album cover featured the two sisters dressed in pastel colored silky material in 80s style make-up with a soft focus sheen filtering the photo.  A smart person might have realized that perhaps these factors all added up to a bunch of hype, but not me, I fell for it, purchased the album and proceeded to be disappointed.

Side note, even the guy at the checkout endorsed this album, adding that his band had opened up for PI, and that Piper was a regular at Amoeba.  Although it was nice to be lauded for my purchase by the music store employee, I have to shake my head at his recommendation now after trying to listen up to this one.

Absent were the hints of Stevie Nicks, and present rather were heavily effected and un-inspired vocals.  There is nothing just outright horrible about the album as a whole, there just doesn't seem to be anything great about it either.  The two tracks on the album that had any sort of poppy effectiveness and hook for me were the track Stilyagi, and California Shakedown.  That being said, the standout tracks aren't really inspiring either, and remind me of something that might be playing at a trendy boutique where the staff is so hip they ignore the patrons.

Stilyagi by Puro Instinct by piperk

Does this sort of album have a place in history?  No.  Does this album aspire towards a certain aesthetic and movement that I think is viable?  Yes, but it falls pretty short.  I'm listening as I write this and hear the sounds of the lonely 80s sax lingering at the end of a track called Escape Forever, half-heartedly.  Even the sax grows tired of Puro Instinct...I want them all to be winners, but alas they cannot.

-Laura in LA