Album Review: Purusa — Amnesia

Impassioned, minor-key rockers are the chosen approach for this Portland-based indie rock band. Their thoughtful lyrics on cuts like “Julien” mean that the songs hold up to close scrutiny, but for those who’d just as soon rock out, Purusa delivers for them as well. Some of Zach Hinkelman and Kris Kirkman’s guitar textures are vaguely reminiscent of the college rock of the ‘80s, which is another way of saying that Purusa likes its sound BIG. “Memory” sounds at times like swaggering early ‘70s rock, but these guys deliver it without a whiff of pretension. Kirkman’s vocals have just the right texture and intensity to soar above and out front of the tuneful instrumental vortex. Midtempo rockers like “Dandelion” have a slow burn, and the group knows how to buld from a whisper to a … well, if not a scream, then a roar. And when the group dials it down – way down – on the intro to tunes like “Maybe I Know,” the passion still comes through. Purusa is a band to watch, and Amnesia is an album to hear.

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