Album Review: Pristine - Road Back To Ruin

I was commenting to someone last week that when it comes to rock, I tend to prefer organic sounding records. I can see the appeal of the larger-than-life sound, with a wall of sound so massive you know the band would need an army of guitar players to recreate it, all polished to within an inch of its life. That's fine, but I would rather hear a band stripped down to the basics, sounding as if they're recorded live off the floor. What's most important is the music, so why do we care so much about the gloss and candy that bands use to cover it up? I can't really answer that, and thankfully today I don't have to. Pristine is the kind of raw, organic rock band that doesn't need any frills to get their point across.

As that opening paragraph indicates, Pristine is giving us an album of classic rock played in the classic manner, with a sound that sounds like what you would hear at a live show, because the basic tracks were indeed cut live. Some might say the guitars don't have enough heft to them because of this, but that's what I love about it. This is what rock and roll actually sounds like if you're in the room with a band. Anyone who could bring a complaint about that is committing some serious logic crime; you can't like rock if you don't like what rock actually sounds like.

Between that production, the obvious blues influences, and Heidi Solheim's voice, the band comes across sounding very much like the first Blues Pills album. Considering how much I loved that record, and summarily hated their shift into soul for the follow-up, hearing something reminiscent of my fonder memories is very welcome indeed. I also love the hints of Hammond organ that give the songs some extra color, keeping the vintage sound, while also not cluttering up the recordings with unnecessary layers of guitars.

There's a balance between short and snappy songs, and longer tracks that ebb and flow a bit more. "Sinnerman" is a burner to open the record, bristling with the energy of early rock and roll. Comparatively, "Bluebird" is a blues number that almost turns into drone with its repeated mantra as the song slows down and then builds back up. It might go on a bit long, but it's done for effect, and it still works.

"Aurora Skies" is a quiet ballad that uses a minimalist backdrop to put the focus squarely on Heidi's voice, and it's five minutes that shows how great she can be. She wrings the song out of her, with a vocal tone that has soul, and just a hint of grit. She doesn't flex her power as much as Elin Larsson does, but they share more than a passing resemblance to one another.

This is the kind of record that needs a bit of time to sink in. It doesn't have the immediate gratification that one with bigger melodies would, but as you continue listening, the little details are able to reveal themselves. In time, you'll start to find the songs growing more familiar. I wouldn't mind a bit more hookiness, but I came to appreciate these songs for the way they're written.

So does "Road Back To Ruin" lead us there? No, it doesn't. Ruin is not the final destination. Pristine is sending us on a journey back to the classic days of rock, and it's one that makes for a pleasant journey. Heidi is a star of a vocalist, and the album would be worth giving a chance just for her. The songs deliver a solid batch of bluesy vintage rock, so put together we get a record that fits in well with the Blues Pills of the world.