Pure Reason Revolution: ‘Coming Up To Consciousness’ Review
The album artwork for Coming Up To Consciousness
I’m a bit of an odd one when it comes to music – sometimes I like to be challenged and have my face ripped off, sometimes I like to be carried blissfully and calmly into the void. An old favourite of mine in the latter category is British prog group Pure Reason Revolution. They started off with a bang with their back-to-back EP/album releases of Cautionary Tales for the Brave and the sensational debut record The Dark Third – one of my favourite debut records of all time. Their sound shifted with the following two albums, the much poppier Amor Vincit Omnia in particular landing rather well with me – before going on hiatus. Nearly a decade later, they returned with Eupnea and later Above Cirrus – albums that harken back to the sound of The Dark Third while injecting a more modern metal sensibility into the mix, to keep things nice and fresh.
The key tool at PRR‘s disposal is their wonderful dual-vocal approach, with Jon Courtney and Chloë Alper’s harmonising being the only constant throughout the shifting sounds of their first five albums and numerous other releases. This makes sixth record Coming Up To Consciousness immensely interesting on paper as it’s the first to deviate from that approach – indeed Alper’s commitments to other projects have left her unable to tour and record with the band. In steps new vocalist Annicke Shireen (of Heilung among other projects) to lend her own sensibilities to Courtney’s compositions. Another marked difference in that department, as this is the first post-hiatus album devoid of any epics – the longest songs sitting at a tight six minutes.
As for the songs themselves: after a brief introduction we’re thrown into Dig Till You Die, a very dynamic opener that launches into a stonking great riff all too briefly (I really wish they stuck with it for longer!) before retreating into quieter climes once again. Tracks like The Gallows lean into the tranquility once again, presented via keys primarily with some atmospheric guitar layering entering the fray to great effect. Vocals are the star of the show as expected with Pure Reason Revolution, their complex compositions fitting them in on tracks like Worship. As addressed prior, the new status quo in the vocal department mean that Jon Courtney’s are very much the focus with Annicke Shireen’s vocals taking more of a relative backseat, though Shireen still gets plenty of moments to shine, particularly on the evocative single Useless Animal.
Coming Up To Consciousness is in effect a “vibes album” – and this does leave the instrumentalists in the band room to breathe. A guest rhythm section courtesy of post-Waters Pink Floyd bassist Guy Pratt and drummer of My Vitriol Ravi Kesavaram getting plenty of room to shine on album highlight Bend the Earth. Some great drum fills in particular here – Pratt meanwhile gets a number of tasty basslines into the record, particularly on the incredibly groovy Dig Till You Die and contrasted by some very intricate playing on The Gallows.
Unfortunately there are a couple of areas where this album edges towards reasonable as opposed to revolutionary for me. The key selling point of PRR – the harmonies – while still technically great and certainly with no judgement against new vocalist Shireen, just don’t have quite the same resonance for me. It’s a shame that Alper’s other commitments prevented her from partaking in this record – her voice fits perfectly with Courtney’s. Still, the USP of dual harmony must go on and what’s here is still impressive, albeit not quite landing as it used to.
Coming Up To Consciousness also makes the bizarre decision to fit six introduction/interlude tracks into a compact 42-minute runtime. A more blatant focus on flowing the tracks together instead of spacing them out with almost arbitrary ambient sections would have kept me fully immersed in the record and while there’s nothing wrong with the ambient compositions themselves, I’m not convinced that they do much to support the record’s pacing and begin to stick out like a sore thumb on repeated listens.
Where does this sit, then, in the PRR canon? It’s admittedly got heavy shoulders to stand on, the weight of records like debut The Dark Third and post-hiatus Eupnea will forever stand as comparison points, but Coming Up To Consciousness makes itself known to be an overall strong record – I would argue their most experimental – with ambitious tracks that do a lot in their short runtime. Lifeless Creature and Bend the Earth for instance, show the more dynamic bends this band takes to their fullest, and do well to place this album on the upper echelons of modern prog rock. If you’re even a little bit conscious, or just coming up to it, this here album is all in all worth a listen if you’re an existing fan, or just looking for some prog rock with a heavier edge.
